Eternal Cycle
by Zexion77
Summary: Sequel to Dark Horizon. 1 year has passed since peace returned to the Universes. But when an accident occurs at the Sphere Company, the Universes must unite once again to fight a force capable of tearing them asunder. KH,SO3,and XS Crossover
1. Back Home

Eternal Cycle

By Zexion72

Yes, it has come. The next part of Alex's Story. What sorts of twists and turns await him? There's only one way to find out.

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Ocean, Kingdom Hearts, Xenosaga, or Final Fantasy X/X-2

* * *

Chapter 1: Back Home

I stood in a dark cavern with a pale light shining down from a hole in the cavern roof. I could barely see anything in this cave. But ahead of me was a strange cross like shaped stone with a stone coffin in front of it. There was a light coming from the casket, a warm welcoming light. I wanted to approach it, but a foreboding feeling that I sensed held me back. There was something lurking in the darkness. Normally I would just summon the Dark Horizon and use my dark senses to sniff out the hostile. But something was telling me to avoid whatever was leering at me in the darkness. I could feel it's piercing gaze lock on me. That was when I noticed something move. I heard footsteps and then a figure began to appear. All I could see was just an outline. And then all of a sudden the figure whipped out a humming purple blade that was glowing with purple energy. Before I could react they lunged at me with incredible speed. I summoned the Dark Horizon and put up a guard.

As the figure just barely reached me there was a bright flash of light. And for a brief moment I saw the woman from that last battle against Vox last year. But this time I could see more details. She had black hair and tanned skin. She had light blue eyes, but they were coated with sadness. She wore a blue dress with a white cloth wrapped around her neck and upper shoulders. "Who are you?" I asked. She did not respond, she just continued to gaze at me with that sad face. Then the light got brighter and brighter till I had to shield my eyes.

* * *

I shot up out of bed with sweat covering my face. I took several deep breaths and looked around. I was inside a blue tent with multiple beds, some of which had people sleeping on them.

"_Huh? Where am I?" _I asked in my thoughts. For a moment I took in my surroundings. _"Oh that's right. I found Spira during my travels and I landed down on Besaid to pay Yuna and the others a visit." _I wiped the sweat from my forehead and sighed. _"That dream again... why has that woman been appearing so frequently these past few weeks?" _

"Did you have a nightmare?" Asked a voice. I looked up to see Paine standing there.

"I don't know what that was. A nightmare? Or a vision?" I said.

"Don't let it bother you. A dream's a dream," reassured Paine. I nodded.

"Yeah... you're probably right," I said as I looked down at the ground. After a few seconds of silence I looked back up at Paine. "What time is it?"

"1 hour past dawn," replied Paine as she began to walk towards the exit. She stopped and looked back at me. "Not that many people have woken up yet. You can do what you'd like. Breakfast is still a ways away." She left the tent and went off to wherever. I yawned and got out of bed. Afterwards I went outside and looked around. Paine was right, it seems like the village was still asleep. Since I didn't have anything else to do, I decided to go down to the beach. The sun was very low in the air, but it made the sky look beautiful. There was a small, cool breeze blowing around. It felt refreshing at this early hour. Finally I arrived at the beach and I looked around.

It has been 1 year since I began my journey. I have been to so many worlds and I have met countless people. Of course I have also encountered many types of Heartless and Nobodies too. Some larger, and far more fierce. But thanks to my experience with fighting them, they didn't cause that much trouble. Almost a week ago, I had found Spira during my travels and I decided to pay Yuna and the others a visit. Once I leave here, I will go to Disney Castle. Somehow, I sense that the peace that we all worked so hard to bring... is about to break.

There was a dark feeling residing in the air. As if something wasn't right. I couldn't put my finger on it, but it got stronger by the day. It would be best to let King Mickey know about this.

For what seemed like an hour, I sat there thinking about all the places I had been and the people I had met. It's hard to believe that it has been a year already. After my little trip to the beach I began to return to Besaid. Suddenly everything inverted and I heard a familiar chime sound. I looked behind me to see Nephilim standing there. Before I could say anything she vanished. There was something about her face that concerned me. She looked concerned about something.

"_What was that about?" _I asked in my thoughts. I returned to Besaid and I saw Yuna walking around. She walked towards me as she noticed that I was there.

"Morning," she said.

"Good morning," I responded. I looked around and noticed something unusual.

"Where's Tidus? Isn't he usually with you 24/7?" Yuna chuckled.

"He's still sleeping. I think I'll wake him up when breakfast is ready." Said Yuna as she looked over at the house that she and Tidus lived in.

"When is breakfast?"

"It won't be much longer now. You can ask Lulu about it."

"Yunnie!" Shouted Rikku as she ran out of Lulu's house and towards Yuna and I.

"What is it?"

"What else? Breakfast is ready!"

"Then I had better go wake up a certain sleepy head," said Yuna with a smile. She walked off towards her small house/tent. I followed Rikku into Lulu and Wakka's house. Lulu looked over at us as we walked inside.

"Good morning," said Lulu.

"Morning," I replied as I sat down at the table. Wakka was sitting at the table, Paine was too.

"You were up pretty late, ya? I'm surprised that someone didn't have to drag you outta bed," said Wakka.

"I don't need that much sleep," I said.

"Or is it because of your dreams?" Asked Paine. I hesitated for a moment and then I shook my head.

"No, that's not why. Nobodies don't require sleep so since I am half I don't have to sleep as much as others. But I like to anyway."

"Oh boy! Food!" Exclaimed Tidus as he bursted inside. Yuna followed in shortly afterwards. We all chuckled at how hyper Tidus was this morning... then again how is that different from any day?

"_He really does think only with his stomach," _I said in my thoughts. Tidus and Yuna sat down and we started eating. There wasn't much to talk about this morning, in fact I found it rather strange at how quiet the group was. Even Tidus seemed a little more quiet than usual. I guess it's just one of those quiet days. Suddenly my communicator went off. I pulled it out and checked to see who left a message.

"What was that?" Asked Lulu. I smirked as I read the message and saw who it was from. I cleared my throat and read it.

* * *

_Alex,_

_How have you been? I've visited Disney Castle several times and you haven't been there once. You must be pretty busy, then again I can relate to that. Working in the Aquarian Military is a rather tiring job, almost on the level that our jobs at the Sphere Company were. _

_Speaking of Sphere I went and visited Blair and the others yesterday. Thanks to me giving them a little nudge, they have been able to make another Eternal Sphere. I must say it is even more impressive than the one we created. As a matter of fact, they have invited us to come and see the start up tests. If you are in the area, why don't you come and enjoy the show? For old time's sake, you know? _

_Well, hope to see you there!_

_- Luther Lansfeld

* * *

_

I put away my communicator and stretched. It had been awhile since I had heard from any of my old friends. I wasn't doing a good job at keeping in touch either.

"Sounds like you've got some stuff on your plate now, ya?" Commented Wakka as he was eating.

"You could say that. But it's a good opportunity to see some old faces again," I said. "There are many worlds I could visit that are on the way to my home world." I got up and began to walk towards the exit.

"Aww you're leaving already?" Asked Rikku. I nodded.

"Yeah, I was planning on spending a little more time here. But I have things I need to do. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. You'll just have to stay a little longer next time," said Yuna.

"And maybe next time we can all go to a Blitzball game in Luca," added Tidus as he continued to stuff his face with food.

"That would be great, I keep hearing about Blitzball and I have never seen a game once," I commented.

"It's the best game in all of Spira. You ain't seen nothin' if you haven't seen a game of Blitzball," said Wakka.

"Well I look forward to when I get to see one of those games. See you all again at some point."

"You are always welcome in Besaid," said Lulu. We all said our goodbyes and I headed over to my ship. I got onboard and launched off towards my home world. Some time later, I finally arrived and landed at Arkives. Unlike last time, I got very few stares from people. I guess it was because people either recognized me or it was because I wasn't with Sora, Donald, or Goofy. I headed to the Space-Time Transporter to get to the Sphere Company. As I got near the entrance I saw a familiar face. There stood Luther, as if he had been waiting for me.

"I was about to consider you as late," said Luther with a grin.

"Well, it's because space is so big. That's why it took me so long," I said.

"Yeah sure," said Luther. We paused for a moment, starred each other off, and then embraced for a few seconds. "How have you been? It's good to see you."

"I've been doing pretty good. It's been awhile since I have seen any familiar faces from before the battles with Organization XIII," I said.

"How long have you been gone exactly?"

"For about a year now." Luther whistled.

"One year? You've been traveling from world to world for an entire year now? Isn't that kind of life a difficult one to live?"

"At first it was. But, you get used to it as time passes. I have already had a taste of it when I was journeying with Sora and his friends. So, shall we go?"

"Yes, we had better not keep them waiting. Let's get moving," said Luther. We walked into the station and towards the terminal. We approached the security guy in charge of this terminal.

"Welcome! Where would you like to go?" Asked the Security Guy.

"We'd like to go to the Sphere Company," I said.

"Your names?" Asked the Security Guy as he pulled out an optical clip board.

"Alex Rothrock," I said.

"Luther Lansfeld," added Luther.

"Ah former staff members. Right this way," said the Security Guy. He punched in the coordinates and we entered the terminal. Within a second we were transported to the Sphere Company. Standing there to greet us was Azazer.

"Welcome you two. I was wondering if you were coming or not," said Azazer.

"We would have been here sooner if we didn't have so much distance to cover," said Luther.

"Yeah, I was near the outer rim of this galaxy when I got the message from Luther. Were it not for warp technology I wouldn't have gotten here for several weeks," I said. Azazer seemed rather surprised.

"The outer rim? What are you doing all the way out there?" Asked Azazer.

"Keeping the peace," I said simply.

"I can't believe you abandoned your life here for years of travel in uncharted regions of space. I believe that goes under the category of suicide." I laughed.

"Yeah there are some things out there that I wished I had never encountered. Especially some of those Heartless that roam about space. Or the time I found the abandoned space colony that was overrun by Heartless, that was..."

"I really don't care about the details. Anyway, let's go up to the Owner's floor. The demonstration will start shortly." Without another word we headed towards the elevator beyond the main lobby. Azazer activated the elevator and we went to floor 211. He then lead us to the office where Blair, Berial, and Belzeber were. There were several other people that I recognized who were all at various terminals.

"It's good to see you two again," said Blair as she walked towards us.

"Likewise My Sister, it has been a long time since I was here," said Luther.

"Right, when you came under the title of Raxiel and you brought back the Angel Orb for her holiness."

"At least you two aren't late," said Belzeber.

"So who is managing the company now?" I asked.

"Blair and I. We figured it would be best to have two Owner's to prevent another incident like two years ago with Organization XIII. So, shall we get started?" Berial nodded.

"Yes, I think it's time," he said.

"And here are our two guinea pigs," said Azazer as he pushed Luther and I forward.

"What?" I asked.

"I don't remember hearing that we would actually enter this new Eternal Sphere," said Luther.

"It is a surprise for the two of you. Thanks to the hard work you and Alex put into the original we were able to use this back up and make a completely new universe. We would be honored if you two were the first to enter it."

"Sounds like fun," I said.

"Hopefully we won't end up in a similar situation as two years ago," said Luther with a tone of slight worry. I looked over at him confused. "You know, when you got stuck in the Eternal Sphere."

"Oh yeah, I had almost forgotten about that," I said. "It's been so long since then." Blair started typing something in the main terminal in the center of the room. She looked back over at Luther and I.

"Are you two ready to go?" She asked.

"Ready when you are," said Luther.

"Yeah I'm ready. Let's do this!" I exclaimed excitedly. Luther and I walked into one of the spheres on the side of the room and the door closed. Despite this, we could hear what everyone was saying.

"Course set, you will be taken to a demonstration area. Then we will show you all the features of the new Eternal Sphere." Said Blair.

"I think you'll like the changes we have made," commented Berial.

"I can't wait to see what you guys have come up with without us," I stated as I looked around at the sphere I was in. The equipment was still the same as it was when the Old Eternal Sphere was still around.

"Here we go, transportation will begin in ten seconds," said one of the staff members. Suddenly an alarm went off and the screens started flashing red.

"What's wrong?" Asked an alarmed Luther.

"According to the computer, someone is hacking into the database!" Exclaimed Blair.

"What? But we just updated our security programs! No one should be able to get through them!" Said Berial.

"That's what I thought too. Looks like we are wrong." Blair looked over at one of the staff members. "What is the hacker trying to change?"

"They are changing the destination that the warp will take the two subjects," responded the staff member.

"Cut off access to the database! If they succeed in whatever they have planned not only are we risking data leakage and theft but Alex and Luther could die!" Said Berial.

"_Alex..." _Said Nephilim's voice. I looked around to try and find her but there was no one there.

"_What the?" _I asked in my thoughts.

"Cancel transportation!" Exclaimed Blair.

"It's no use! Our commands are being overridden!"

"Luther, what's going on?" I asked as I looked over at him.

"I have no idea," said Luther with a tone of worry. To be honest, I was worried too. I had a bad feeling about this.

"Transportation starting now," said the computer. There was a bright flash of light and we were suddenly transported. As the light faded Luther and I were no longer in the Sphere but now we were standing on a field with ruins. There were monuments, pillars, and remains of walls. In the distance was forest and mountains. There was a thick fog in the air and it made it hard to see.

"Where are we?" I asked.

"Not in the right place, that's for sure." Luther pulled out his communicator. "Blair, come in Blair. Where are we? Blair, do you copy?" Luther sighed and put away his communicator. "No response."

"That's not good, so what are we... huh?" I stopped as I saw someone in the distance walking off into the fog.

"Alex? What is it?" Asked Luther. I took several steps forward towards the direction the figure went in.

"I thought I just saw someone."

"Let's follow them. They might be able to help us. Of course, we can't be certain about that one. They might be an enemy."

"Only one way to find out," I said as I began to walk into the thick fog. Luther sighed and began to follow me. As we were walking, we talked about things. "What do you think this place is?"

"Beats me." Eventually we came to a small area where there was a flight of stairs that lead underground.

"_Alex, I am sorry." _Said Nephilim's voice. I looked around as if expecting to see the enigmatic, cryptic, little girl. But she was nowhere in sight.

"_That girl... what is she trying to tell me or warn me about?" _I asked in my thoughts.

"Did you find something?" Questioned Luther. I turned over to him and shook my head.

"No, it's nothing." We hesitantly began to walk down the stairs into where ever this lead. I gasped as I saw the next room.

"I know this place! This is the place from my dream this morning," I said. Suddenly the Dark Horizon appeared in my hand.

"This place, why do I feel like I've been here before?" Asked the Dark Horizon.

"Somehow I get that feeling too," I said.

"Well it was in your dream," said Luther. I shook my head and looked around at this strange place.

"No, it's not like that. It's more like I have been here. Like I know about this place."

"Do you now?" Asked a voice. Luther and I started looking around for the owner of the voice.

"Who's there? Show yourself!" Exclaimed Luther. A man in an Organization XIII outfit walked out of the shadows and towards us. Both Luther and I starred in shock, how could this be? "What?" Luther looked at me. "Weren't all members of Organization XIII, excluding Roxas, killed?"

"That's what I thought too! According to Ansem's Reports and various notes I found in his study room, there were only 13 members, excluding Maria and Vox," I said.

"I was never with them," said the man. Luther and I both realized at that point that this guy was using a voice scrambler to hide his true voice. But why? As I took in his scent, I noted it as strange. It wasn't like the scent of an Organization XIII member. It was different somehow, I mean it smelled somewhat like a Nobody Scent but it was very unique.

"What are you doing in here anyway?" I asked.

"You could say, I'm here to lend a hand," the man said simply.

"Why would we need your help?" Questioned Luther with a tone of suspicion in his voice.

"Cause I happen to know how to get the two of you out of this place." The man walked towards the coffin nearby the cross and stroked the side of the lid with his hand. "There are two locks on this coffin. By releasing the locks, the two of you will be transported back to Sphere."

"What's in it for you? Is there something special about the locks?" I asked.

"Doesn't matter. Now, open the locks." Luther and I got in a fighting stance.

"Why should we listen to you?" Demanded Luther.

"Because..." The man snapped his fingers and in a bright flash of light countless Nobodies appeared, surrounding us. There were so many Nobodies that Luther and I were left with a small space to fight no wider than 2 ½ feet. "The alternative way of getting out of here is death." Finished the man. Realizing at the severe disadvantage we were at, Luther and I looked at each other and grinned nervously. We nodded and then looked at the man.

"Yeah, um, we are going with the first option," I said.

"Excellent." The man snapped his fingers and all the Nobodies left. "I knew you boys could be reasonable." I had thought of attacking this man once the Nobodies were going, but something was telling me it wasn't a good idea. So instead Luther and I walked towards the coffin and held our Keyblades out at the two locks. Silver energy swirled around at the tips and shot down at the locks. On impact, the locks vanished and there was a bright flash of energy. As this strange place faded away I could hear the man's voice. "Reuel, you are the only one who can save the universes from complete and total destruction."

Suddenly, a large object of some sort appeared in front of me. It was a large golden base with two large rings spinning around above the base. One was white and the other was black. On top of each ring was a circle of strange, illegible symbols that were glowing. In the middle of the circle formed by the two rings was a glowing, transparent, green cube that spun on it's side. It began to spin faster and faster.

"_What is that thing?" _I questioned in my thoughts. The appearance of this strange object surprised me. It just appeared out of nowhere. And yet, it seemed somehow familiar. As the familiarity came to mind, so did a name: _Zarathustra. _The light faded into darkness and in an instant I opened my eyes to see that I was standing back on the top floor of the Sphere Company. Still inside that sphere that Luther and I had walked into. The door to the office opened and Blair rushed over to us as we walked out.

"You're both okay, what a relief!" She said in a slight panic.

"Blair, what the hell happened back there?" I asked.

"Someone hacked the Eternal Sphere and changed your transport location. A place they themselves had created," said Berial.

"So what happened in there?" Asked Blair.

"Nothing good..." Started Luther. He explained everything that had happened in that strange place. Blair looked very troubled by this.

"Hmm, now the question is... who would do this? And why? And what is up with the locks?" We all thought for a moment but nothing came to mind.

"Beats me," I commented with a quick shrug. I looked over at Luther. "Well, I am going to go now. It's time I return to Disney Castle and report to His Majesty."

"Alright, I don't think this is going to become a big problem. But if anything comes up I will come to Disney Castle right away," said Luther.

"Be careful out there you two, I have a bad feeling about all this," added Blair with a tone of worry.

"Don't worry, we can..." Suddenly the Dark Horizon appeared in my hand. "What?" The main terminal started glowing. Realizing what was going on I put my Keyblade out in front of me. Energy started circling around the tip and the front of the blade. The Nobody symbol appeared beneath me and formed that strange place with all the brown, white, and black clouds of energy. The Terminal shot a beam at the 'cloud wall' and a Keyhole opened. I pointed the Dark Horizon up to the Keyhole and a beam shot from it towards the large opening. Upon impact the Keyhole started to glow and then the strange clouds faded away.

"What in the hell was that?" Asked Belzeber.

"A new road has opened somewhere in the stars... but somehow I am afraid of what is beyond that new path." I said as I looked at the Dark Horizon.

"This might be the end, the end of the peace we worked so hard to bring," said Luther. I shook my head.

"I don't want to think that. It could still be something small." I said. But I knew that I was fooling myself. I knew very well what this all meant. Looks like I have MORE things to report to the King now. And... there is some research that I must do. There is something out there, something that must not remain unchecked. I looked over at Luther.

"I've got to go. This new issue requires my attention, and I need to do some research."

"Right, good luck with that."

"Thanks," I said as I opened a portal of darkness and used it to go to my ship. I hastily got onboard and shot off towards Disney Castle. I could not idle, this was important! I switched on the warp function and I was at Disney Castle almost instantly. My ship was brought into the Gummi Ship Hangar and set to the side of the launching platform. I got off my ship and was greeted by Chip and Dale at the platform.

"Alex! You finally came back!" Exclaimed Chip.

"Let's go tell the King!" Exclaimed Dale excitedly.

"Yes, I need to go see His Majesty. There are some things I need to discuss with him." I said.

"Like what?" Asked Chip.

"Like a mysterious object that could be a potential threat, oh and the fact that the peace we all fought so hard to obtain may possibly break soon." Chip and Dale jumped up in shock and possibly worry as they heard this.

"That sure don't sound good Chippers!" Commented Dale.

"Then you had better go and see King Mickey right away!" Pointed out Chip.

"Yeah!" I said as I went up the stairs and out into the courtyard. On the side lawn, Goofy was sleeping while Donald was reading a book of some kind. As I closed the doors to the Hangar, Donald looked over at me.

"Wak! Alex!" Exclaimed Donald as he dropped the book onto Goofy and ran towards me. He jumped up and gave me a hug, then I let him down to the ground.

"It's good to see you again. It's been awhile." I said.

"Yeah, a year or so," said Donald as he was counting his fingers, remembering how long I had been gone. Donald looked over at Goofy. He looked back at me and snickered with an evil smirk plastered on his face. It wouldn't take a genius to figure out what Donald was planning. He raised up his wand and a bolt of lightning came down next to Goofy. He jumped high into the air and crash landed on his belly. He got up in a clumsy manner and then looked up at me.

"Hey Alex!" Said Goofy as he got up and rushed towards me with a large hug. After a few seconds he released me. "How ya been?"

"Pretty good," I responded. I looked around at Disney Castle. It hadn't changed at all, in fact it was as if I had only left a few seconds ago. "I see you guys have kept everything in good condition since that day that I left."

"Yep," said Donald.

"So how has your trip been so far?"

"Very long, but worth it. Say, do you know where the King is? I need to speak with him right away."

"He's in the library right now. So Alex, could ya' tell us all about your trip later then?" Asked Goofy. I nodded.

"Sure thing. See you guys later." I headed down the long hallway towards the library. I calmly opened the door, not to make it look like anything was wrong. It would be best to look calm and explain everything without any sign of worry. King Mickey looked over from his desk and at me. He seemed a bit surprised to see me but then he smiled as he got off his chair and walked towards me.

"Alex! Welcome back," said King Mickey. I bowed before the King and lowered my head.

"It's good to be back, Your Majesty." I said.

"Well first stand up," said King Mickey. Without hesitation, I got up from the ground. "So what brings you here?"

"First I came to report back here and tell you about some of the things I have seen. But there are other things we must talk about," I said gravely. King Mickey looked at my face and he put on his serious look.

"What's wrong? You look like something is troubling you."

"Well..." I explained what had happened at my home world. King Mickey looked troubled about this.

"It sounds like there're some trouble makers out there. So what are you planning to do?" Asked King Mickey.

"I am going to do some research. And I will be looking for that new 'path' as well." I said.

"Well, if things get worse you had better let me know. This could turn into another battle like last year and the year before that," said King Mickey.

"I won't let that happen, no matter what." I said.

"I'm counting on you." I bowed once again.

"I am honored, Your Majesty," I said. I walked over to a book shelf. "The first place to start..." I picked out a random book and held it up. "Is the closest library. I might be able to find something."

* * *

So will Alex be able to find anything? He doesn't have much time, soon everything will be thrown out of balance. Anyway, please review. 


	2. Findings

Thanks goes to all who reviewed! Anyway, here is chapter #2.

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Ocean, Kingdom Hearts, or Xenosaga. I also don't own the book series that is referred to.

* * *

Chapter 2: Findings

A day or so had passed since I had returned to Disney Castle. After hours of searching and going to various worlds I found out... absolutely nothing. There wasn't a single book about this Zarathustra let alone a document about anything related to it. I had searched countless libraries in the worlds, from Radiant Garden, to Beast's Castle, to Destiny Islands. I even used the portal on an uninhabited planet to talk to Fayt and Co about this. I sat at my desk, looking over all the notes and theories I had jotted down about this mysterious object. By now I had crumbled the majority of them into balls out of frustration. The only thing I had was a rough sketching of Zarathustra based on what I remembered from that vision. I took a sip of Ale from the bottle and continued to add finishing touches to my sketch. After reaching a satisfaction point, I blew off the eraser scraps and looked at it closer to the dim candle light.

"I've got a sketch, but I have no idea what the hell it is!" I exclaimed with a tone of annoyance and frustration. I let the paper drop to the ground and I let out a sigh of defeat. Suddenly I heard a high pitched chime, like a bell. I looked over and saw Nephilim standing to my left. "Nephilim? What's going on here? What are you trying to tell me?"

"_Alex, the time is drawing near. The time when all the Universes will need you and the others more than ever. The war of Armageddon is on the horizon. The universes are in danger." _

"Armageddon? Tell me what you know!" I exclaimed as I shot out of my chair. Great, Organization XIII was bad enough. But the end of the worlds is even worse. This must be taken care of at once.

"_There will be a time when I can tell you what is about to happen. But first, seek advice from the worlds." _Said Nephilim as she disappeared. I couldn't believe what I had just heard. Armageddon? Is Zarathustra that dangerous? Or is there something else out there? Now the question is... where would I go to get advice? Even Merlin didn't know a thing about Zarathustra. _"There has to be some sort of place with people who have a lot of knowledge... knowledge..." _I looked up as I realized that I had a lead. "Olympus!" I said. As if on cue, the communicator that I had set up in my room went off. I picked it up and answered the call. "Hello?"

"Alex! We found something unusual out there!" Exclaimed Chip.

"Unusual?" I asked.

"Yeah! Our radar picked up a large object nearby. At first we thought it was an asteroid because of it's size. But then..." Started Dale.

"We took a closer look at it. It's like a piece of a planet or something. And our findings don't end there," continued Chip.

"_Pieces of a ruined planet? I thought worlds consumed by Heartless just vanished, not explode,"_ I said in my thoughts. It had to be from nearby, where else could it have come from? And why would they bring this up anyway? What could possibly be so important about remains of a planet? "What else did you find?"

"There is a strange energy reading coming from that place, we've never seen the likes of it before," added Dale. I acknowledged this as an interesting fact and I began to drink from my bottle of Ale.

"When the radar picture printed out we saw that there were plants like trees still growing on the surface. Completely covered in leaves and everything." Finished Chip. I almost chocked and spat out the Ale I had in my mouth at the time.

"What? Is such a thing even possible?" I exclaimed.

"Considering how cold space is, and the not-so-ideal conditions... no."

"Could that be the place that you mentioned last night at dinner?" Asked Dale.

"A new road DID open, so it wouldn't surprise me if that place appeared because of that." I said. "Well if you find any more info on this thing let me know. I'll be checking it out soon."

"Okay, be careful if you go there," said Chip. They hung up and I did the same.

"Right, I had better get going then. Off to Olymp... olym... oly... ol..." My vision blurred and I fell to the ground. Then everything faded into darkness.

"Reuel... wake up Reuel," said a soft voice. I slowly opened my eyes to see that I was on a field and propped up by the base of a tree. This place was the same tone and color as the flower field from my visions. And to top it off, I saw the woman from my visions kneeling next to me and looking over at me.

"Whoa!" I exclaimed out of surprise. I wasn't expecting to see her of all people. She seemed to be taken back a bit by my sudden burst. Then she smiled warmly and chuckled.

"You must have been really out of it, Reuel," she said. Not knowing what was going on or why she was calling me Reuel, I decided it would be best to pretend that I understand what's going on. Adventuring Rule #14: When you are in a strange situation that you don't understand, play along as if you know exactly what's going on.

"Uhh, yeah. I was really tired," I said.

"Yeshua told me about the work you were doing this morning." I smiled and nodded.

"Yeah! It was long and hard, but someone's got to do it, right?" She chuckled a little bit.

"A streak of motivation?"

"Errr... something like that." She stood up and held her hand towards me.

"Come on, let's go home. We could use a hand with making Dinner." I nodded.

"You got it." As I took her hand and got up, everything faded away in bright light. As the light faded I was back in my room. "What the hell was that?" It took me a moment to recall everything that had just happened. Who is that woman? And how does she know that Reuel guy. Perhaps what I saw was his memories? I sighed and left my room. Regardless of what happened I had to go to Olympus for now, and ignore what had just happened. I would have time to investigate that later. That woman and Reuel weren't important at the moment... or so I had thought at the time.

As I was walking down the hallway, it dawned on me as I finally remembered something. That man from that simulation had appeared in the Underworld and was talking to Hades. It's not the gods I should talk to about this, but Hades. Sure he tried to kill us all and he can't really be trusted but now's not the time to be fretting about who's on who's side. I headed to the throne room and opened to the door to go in. King Mickey seemed to be having a lengthy conversation with his wife, the Queen. I walked down the red carpet towards them. As I arrived, they looked over at me and I bowed.

"Good Morning, Alex," said King Mickey.

"Good Morning, Your Majesty," I replied.

"You seem to be in a less grave mood today. Did you find something?" Asked Queen Minnie. I nodded and grinned slightly.

"Yes, I believe I have found a lead. And if I act quickly I may be able to put out this fire before it goes out of control."

"So where is this lead?" Asked King Mickey.

"Hades, Lord of the Dead and Ruler of the Underworld. He has connections with that man that I told you about. He will know something, for sure." King Mickey looked concerned.

"Alex, Donald and Goofy told me about Hades. Are you sure you can trust him?"

"I'm afraid we don't have any choice. We can't fret over who's on which side." King Mickey sighed and closed his eyes. He opened them a second later or so.

"Very well then. But be careful!" I nodded.

"Yes, Your Majesty." I said. I stood up and left the Throne Room. Suddenly the Dark Horizon summoned it's self into my hand.

"You didn't tell him about Nephilim and what she told us about," commented the Dark Horizon.

"No need. If we can take care of this soon we won't have to worry about it. As long as we put out this ember before it becomes an inferno."

"I've got a bad feeling about this. It seems like there is more to this than we think there is."

"Hopefully you're wrong," I said as I continued to walk down the hallway towards the Hangar.

"And I hope you are right about me being wrong. Otherwise, it'll mean bad news for all living things." I got onboard my ship and launched off towards Olympus Coliseum. I opened a portal of Darkness from my ship to the Underworld. I'd like to say hi to Hercules, Meg, and Phil, but I have to take care of this first. I began to walk towards the massive blue lined door that lead towards Hades' Chamber. As I was walking through the dark, damp, and creepy caves of the Underworld a bunch of Heartless appeared. "Usual Heartless, this place hasn't changed a bit."

I summoned the Dark Horizon and started to fight the Heartless. I slashed through Heartless as they came at me. The last Heartless, a medium seized lance wielder, hobbled over to me and started spinning around with it's oversized weapon. I jumped over the Heartless and I slashed off it's head. I smirked and was about to dismiss the Dark Horizon when all of a sudden a bunch of Heartless appeared.

"This could be bad..." I said as I looked around at the huge amount of Heartless that appeared. That was when I picked up sudden scent. "That scent... it's certainly not a Heartless." In a blinding flash something flew by and slashed through a majority of the Heartless. The rest disappeared out of instinct to avoid this new foe. The assailant stood still and finally I could see them, but their back was turned. This 'ally' was a woman, at least my age or slightly older. She had long white/silver hair and her shoulders were exposed, revealing light brown skin. From what I could see of her outfit, it consisted of light and dark purple colors along with black here and there. She wore two long black glove like things that went up her arms quite a ways. In fact her outfit looked like it was made of some sort of metal and it resembled armor. She wore some sort of thing on her head that stuck out of her hair and formed a ring behind her head. She did have some form of armor on her legs but it was mainly just a few straps and a pair of... high heels? Who would wear such a revealing outfit anyway? I took a step towards this person. I had no idea why, but this person reminded me of someone. But I couldn't put my finger on it.

"Um, thanks for your help," I said. Without even looking at me, the woman ran further down into the Underworld. "Wait!" I called out, but it was too late. She had already gone into the next area. I quickly ran to try and catch up with her but I didn't see her anywhere in the next series of narrow cave corridors. "That's weird... where did she go?" Suddenly I heard the sound of something dropping down behind me. At first I thought it was a boulder, but the sound it made when it landed wasn't the sound of a rock breaking, more like something landing. I turned around and saw some sort of creature. It was mostly grey, had little legs, large arms, and a massive torso. It had two eyes near the place where there should be a head. And it was transparent for some strange reason. "What the hell is this thing? A Heartless? A Nobody?" I paused. "No... it's not." I summoned the Dark Horizon and charged towards the enemy. I slashed through it with ease. I began to turn around, expecting to see it on the ground. "Not a cha... what the?" The enemy hadn't be injured at all by my attack. It just stood there as if nothing happened. It slashed at me with it's arms. I jumped over the creature and then slashed at it several times, and not a single one of them did any damage. "It's no use! This thing isn't taking any damage!" I exclaimed.

"What is this creature anyway?" Asked the Dark Horizon. "I've never seen the likes of it before."

"I have no idea what they are. But we've only got once choice now..." I turned around towards the deeper areas of the Underworld. "RUN!" I exclaimed as I started running. The creature started following me. As I was running down the corridors, more of these things started coming out of nowhere and chasing after me. A few Heartless appeared, but the moment they saw these other creatures they quickly disappeared as quickly as they had come. I had arrived at the area just before Hade's Chamber. More of those creatures rose up out of the ground, surrounding me. There were several different kinds of these things but they were all transparent.

"Looks like we're out of luck," said the Dark Horizon.

"Yeah, we're kind of screwed," I commented as the creatures started to walk towards us. There was a sudden burst of light that covered the area, a strange blue light that made all of the creatures not transparent anymore. Suddenly the woman from before jumped down out of nowhere and landed right behind me.

"They are vulnerable now. And I'm sure even you can take them out now," said the woman without looking at me. I nodded.

"You bet I can!" I got the Dark Horizon ready and I charged towards the enemies that were in front of me. I dodged to the side as one of them attacked me. I ran up it's arm and back flipped off it's head, slashed through it with the Dark Horizon as I landed. I ran forward and slashed through another enemy. As two orange enemies with long stick like arms and strange 'suction cup' hands came towards me I summoned another Keyblade. This Keyblade was one I had picked up while traveling. It was called the Immaculate Amalgam. This Keyblade looked more like a sword than anything else. The handle was covered in a black leather material. Instead of the handle being in the middle, it was on the top side. The blade was shiny silver and next to the handle area were five holes, forming an incomplete pyramid. The tip of the blade was curved, pointy, and sharp, not flat like the Dark Horizon. The teeth looked like flames and came out of the blade's edge. It's keychain had three silver diamond shapes stuck together. With two Keyblades in hand I ran towards the two enemies and slashed through them. I turned around, ran by them again, and slashed them for a second time. One of the creatures jumped and tried to attack me from above. I slashed upwards and killed it.

Out of curiosity, I looked back to see how the woman was doing. She was destroying these creatures with blinding speed and inconceivable accuracy. She was using a massive array of weapons to take down her foes. From a glowing purple sword attached to her wrist armor to a small, silver hand gun. Whoever this woman was, she wasn't your average resident here. I turned my attention away from the woman and looked over at the last enemy. I threw both of my Keyblades at it and it was dead upon impact. As the Keyblades returned to my hand I let out a sigh and dismissed both of them. The Woman had finished off the enemies she was fighting too. I walked towards her.

"You're really good. You sure aren't the average local," I said. The woman finally looked at me. The front side of her outfit proved my point from earlier, it was EXTREMELY revealing. The most noticeable feature about her were her piercing sapphire eyes. Just looking at them made me feel as if she was capable of looking into me. It was a very unnerving feeling, that's for sure. She smirked.

"Thanks, and you proved that you aren't useless," she said.

"I'll take that as a compliment. I'm Alex," I stated as I held out my hand. The woman seemed unsure at first. But then she began to walk towards me.

"T-elos. Nice to meet you," she said simply as she shook my hand with an unusual and unexpected amount of strength in her hand. A second later we broke our grasp.

"So what are you doing in the Underworld?" I asked.

"I landed here when I had some ship troubles. After fixing my ship up, I decided to explore this place a little bit," said T-elos as she looked around. She looked over at me again. "And what's a Keyblade bearer doing down in these caves?"

"A mission, by order of King Mickey of Disney Castle. I must speak to the Lord of the Dead," I said.

"Well good luck with that," said T-elos with a smirk. She began to walk away but then she looked over at me. "See you around." She said as she quickly waved goodbye and then jumped into the air.

"Not everyday you meet someone like her," said Hades voice. I jumped ten feet into the air in surprise. I looked behind me to see Hades standing there.

"Ah, Hades. Listen I need to ask you about something. It's about..." Hades held up a hand.

"Hold on there, kido. I know why you've come. In fact I have been expecting you," he said as he put his hand on top of my head.

"You have?" I asked.

"That's right. Now let's head over to my throne room. We'll talk about your little problem there," said Hades as he removed his hand from my head and began to walk towards his Chamber. As we got there Hades waved his hand and a black chair made out of bones appeared on the other side of his 'little' board of the land nearby Mt. Olympus. If it were actual land the distance would probably be about 12 Kilometers in every direction. I hesitated at first, but then I sat down in this new chair. Hades sat on his throne like a King or Lord would.

"You said you knew that I was coming?" I asked. Hades nodded.

"That's right, you see the Fates had told me about this day quite some time ago. You come here seeking info about Zarathustra."

"That's right. So what do you know if it?" I asked.

"Not much, I'm afraid. All I know is that the Gods up on Mt. Olympus are absolutely TERRIFIED of it. Do you know what it is?" I shook my head.

"No, that's why I'm here." I replied.

"Zarathustra was originally some sort of Anti-Higher Dimension device created many years ago. What it's for now and where it is, are both unknown." An Anti-Higher Dimension device? Who would need such an object anyway?

"Higher Dimension as in Gods I assume," I said. Hades raised up his hand.

"You are correct! Which is why the Gods are afraid of it. But I don't see why they should be worried about it. There are few people who are nuts enough to try and use Zarathustra. It is an extremely unstable system and it's not easy to activate it." Said Hades.

"So in other words I shouldn't be worried about it right now," I concluded.

"Bingo! You're a smart kid, you know that?" Hades cleared his throat. "Anyway, there is something far of worse that you have to worry about. And this IS your fault by the way."

"My fault? What are you talking about?" I asked. I don't recall doing anything bad, what is Hades talking about.

"Do you remember a certain Universe you entered? With those friends in the large ship?"

"You mean that Universe that Shion and the others live in?" I paused for a moment. "Wait a minute, how do you know about..."

"Ah you know, details, who needs 'em?" Asked Hades as he casually waved his hand through his fire hair. Then he looked right at me and pointed. "When YOU opened the door so you could return to this Universe, YOU unknowingly opened the door to PURGATORY!" Exclaimed Hades as he shot up out of his chair and pointed at me like I was accused and convicted of a terrible crime.

"Purgatory? What's that supposed to mean?" I asked out of curiosity.

"Oh you'll know soon enough." I sighed in frustration. This was going nowhere, so I decided to bring up another subject.

"Do you remember that guy in black who was here last year? Who was he and what do you know about him? I just encountered him a day or so ago."

"So he's begun to make his move already. That guy really is becoming dangerous." Hades waved his hand in the air and a hologram appeared on his table of the man in the black cloak. "You see this man may seem to be a Nobody. But in reality he is something COMPLETELY different. If he was ever human, he sure as hell ain't anymore," said Hades. He waved his hand and a hologram of a group of four people dressed in a strange outfit appeared on the table. Each one was dressed in a different color, Red, Blue, Black, and White. "That man I was talking to has connections not only with that Nobody group Organization XIII but also with this group that reside in the Universe where your little friends live."

"I've met the black one before. He had an aura of incredible power. Who are these guys?" I asked.

"They are the souls of people who were once alive. But then a certain man came to them as they died and offered them this power. They may seem to exist here as much as you or I. But in reality, that is just an illusion. If you meet these monsters, think twice before you fight them. They cannot be easily killed, in fact it's almost impossible." Explained Hades. "Then there is this man, the one I briefly mentioned." Hades waved his hand again. The next hologram was man with short silver hair that extended down in two waves in front of his face. He had red eyes, a black business suit, and a strange calm smile.

"Who is that guy?" I asked.

"I do not know his name. But he is the leader of that group of strangely dressed people. What their goals are or who they are... nobody knows. But if you ever encounter this man, you must kill him. All the Gods, myself included, believe that if left unchecked, this man is very dangerous. Now back to the guy in the Organization XIII outfit, he seems to be involved in some sort of project started by this group."

"Who IS that man anyway?" I asked out of curiosity. I had a bad feeling in my gut about this, and I wanted to confirm it or deny it. This was the only way to settle that.

"That man... you're not going to like this," said Hades as he snapped his fingers. The man removed his hood and I gasped.

"That's not possible!" I exclaimed. My fears were right, it really is HIM. I leaned back in my chair and starred up at the ceiling. "No way, it's just not possible." I could deny it all I wanted, but the truth was the truth. The mystery man was my old man... Aldax.

"Yes, your Father is still alive. Now the question is: what is he trying to accomplish? That is what you must find out. And you must unravel the mystery of Zarathustra and defeat the men in strange cloaks and their enigmatic leader. That is what you must do for the sake of this Universe." I shot up out of my chair.

"Why are you telling me all of this?" I exclaimed. "What do you have to gain?"

"It's true that I consider you an enemy. I am doing this because you are the only one who can save this Universe. Without you, my plans of taking over the Cosmos will be crumbled to DUST!" Exclaimed Hades as he 'lit up' and went all red. He quickly calmed down. "So basically, if you save this Universe it benefits everyone! Especially me!"

"Save the Universe? From what? You said Zarathustra wasn't as big of a problem, so what could possibly be out there that threatens this Universe?"

"You'll find out soon enough. That little cryptic girl said she'd fill you in on the details later."

"Cryptic girl? You mean Nephilim?" I asked.

"Yeah, being a God I know lots of other Gods and Goddesses, Angels, Demons, Ethereal Beings, you name it."

"Naturally, I guess." I stood up and then I pulled out data disc. "Could you put all of that data you showed me on here. I need to present this to the King." Hades seemed to be in deep thought. "Hades?" He looked up at me.

"Uh, yeah sure." Hades put his hand just above the disk and there was a bunch of sparkles coming from his hand down towards the disc. He handed it to me and then he pulled another disc out of his 'pocket'. "Oh and take this." Hades said as he gave me the disc. I looked at the disc and then gave Hades a confused look.

"What's this?"

"Something is stored on that disc. I stole this from your Father when he last visited. I imagine that they'll be looking for it. Take this and get back to your Castle as quick as you can. With the 'door' open, they can easily track you down." I looked at the disc and smirked.

"Reminds me of Lord of the Rings," I said. I looked back at Hades. "Alright I'll make sure I get this to the King as well."

"Good luck, you're going to need it kido."

"Thanks, Hades," I said as I started walking out of the chamber.

* * *

BACK IN HADE'S CHAMBER...

* * *

A man in a strange red outfit appeared along with Aldax in Hades Chamber. Hades looked over at them as if expecting them to appear. He held up his hand.

"Relax, I didn't tell him anything that I shouldn't have. I've done my part here!" Said Hades.

"We know that, but why did you give him that disk?" Asked the man in red.

"There is all manner of Data on that disc. Especially..." Started Aldax.

"Sorry, but I will make some of my own moves. You are interfering with MY plans!" Said Hades.

"There is more at stake than just your plans!"

"That's enough. I'll have T-elos get that disc back." Said the man in red.

"A good choice, the more those two encounter, the better," said Aldax. The man in red looked at Aldax.

"Yes their inevitable fate. I was surprised when he told me that something like that would happen. It just makes this all the more easier in the end." Hades cleared his throat, getting their attention.

"You're a sick bastard, you know that?" Asked Hades.

* * *

SWITCHING BACK TO ALEX's POV

* * *

I had arrived at the stairs that would lead to the Olympus Coliseum. So far I had yet to encounter any of those creatures or any of the people shown to me in those holograms. I knew it was an emergency situation, but I wanted to at least drop in and say hi to everyone. I went up the stairs and saw Hercules, Meg, and Phil walking towards the coliseum. Looks like they had just gotten back from somewhere or something like that.

"Hey how are you guys?" I shouted as I walked towards them. They all looked over at me.

"Alex! When did you get here?" Asked Hercules as I walked over to them.

"A few minutes ago," I lied. I didn't want to tell them about why I was here, that was better left an issue known only by as few worlds as possible.

"Well it's good to see you again," said Meg.

"Yeah, so have you been training, Hero?" Asked Phil.

"You bet!" I said as I folded my arms and grinned.

"Where are Sora, Donald, and Goofy?" Asked Hercules.

"We finished our little quest and now we have returned to our regular lives. But I am currently on my own little quest."

"Looking for someone?"

"No not..." I stopped dead as I sensed someone was behind me and heard the sound of a gun being loaded. I summoned the Dark Horizon and turned around to see laser blasts flying towards me. "REFLECTAGA!" I shouted as a barrier appeared around me and shot the lasers off in opposite directions. As the dust cleared I saw T-elos standing there with her gun aimed at me. "T-elos? What are you doing?" I asked.

"Hand over that disc." She said without any emotion. But her face had this menacing look and her eyes looked very frightening.

"How do you know about that? You weren't with me when I got it!"

"I told her," said a man in a strange red outfit with a red mask.

"Dammit, I've been found already," I grunted. I couldn't believe that T-elos was with these guys. They must have sent her to observe me, anticipating that Hades might give me the disc. "You knew this was going to happen."

"Exactly." Said the man in red.

"You are a scary bastard."

"Who are these guys?" Asked Hercules.

"I have no idea."

"It'll be far less painless for you if you just hand it over," said T-elos.

"No! I have orders to give this to His Majesty," I said.

"Very well, have it your way. Retrieve the Disc, T-elos," said the man in red. Without warning T-elos started running towards me in a blinding speed.

"Oh crap," I said as I began to open a portal of darkness. Before I could teleport away T-elos grabbed me by my collar and threw me out of the portal before it could transport me away. "What the?" She then proceeded to slam my face into the ground and put her foot on my back.

"Too slow," she taunted.

"I'll back you up!" Shouted Hercules as he ran towards T-elos. He tried to punch her but then she jumped away from me to avoid the attack. I took advantage of that time to get up and I got ready to fight. I charged towards T-elos and slashed at her with my Keyblade. She back flipped over me to avoid the attack. Then her purple sword thing shot out of her wrist armor and she started running towards me. I blocked her attacks somehow, I could barely see them so it was a miracle that I was able to do it at all. Then she threw her other fist at me and grabbed me by my throat. Hercules tried to run towards T-elos but then with her 'sword arm' she pulled out her gun and started firing at him. He ducked to the ground to avoid the attack.

"Don't interfere!" She shouted. T-elos pulled my left arm back and slammed her knee down into my back. She reached towards my pocket with her free hand and took the mystery disc. "Thank you." Then out of nowhere she patted me on the head. "You be a good boy now. No more stealing of data, you here?" She got off of me and walked back towards the man in red.

"We'll be on our way now," said the man in red. As they disappeared I could have sworn that I saw T-elos flash a smile and wave at me. Of course it was probably the fact that she had slammed my head into the ground one time to many and now a few screws were lose in my head.

"Are you alright?" Asked Hercules as he walked towards me. I slowly got up.

"Y-yeah. I've been dealt much worse before," I said as I dusted myself off.

"Who was that anyway?" Asked Meg.

"That girl was someone I had met before, but I didn't know she was in league with that guy. I should have just transported to my ship when I had the chance. Now I've lost some important data."

"At least they weren't coming for your life. That would be worse," said Phil.

"Good point." I looked over at the three of them. "I'm sorry I got you guys involved in this."

"It's no problem, friends help friends," said Hercules.

"True." I began to walk towards the exit. I stopped and turned around. "See you all later."

"See you," said Hercules.

"Bye," said Meg.

"Stay a little longer next time!" Said Phil. I left the Coliseum and began the return trip to Disney Castle. I lowered my head and almost slammed it down on the control panel.

"I can't believe I failed to get that disc to His Majesty," I said. The Dark Horizon appeared in my hand.

"It's not your fault, Alex. There was nothing you could have done against them at this point," commented the Dark Horizon.

"I suppose you're right." I arrived at Disney Castle and landed the ship in the Hangar.

"Welcome back," said Chip as I got off my ship.

"The trip was quite productive, I have obtained some new info," I said.

"Then you'd better go see King Mickey right away!" Said Dale.

"Before you go, we thought that we might let you know about the upgrade for your ship," said Chip.

"Upgrade?" I asked. I hadn't heard of this upgrade before, they must have wanted to surprise me with it.

"That's right, we've added on a new function to your ship! Now it can transform into what we call a Mobile Suit, an effective mode for combat." Said Dale.

"We based it off of the technology used in some scraps found floating around in space. We imagine that it was from a battle amongst worlds some time ago," added Chip.

"Well, thank you!" I said. Come to think of it, a combat mode would be very helpful with my craft. It's more suited for complex evasion maneuvers and not fighting against massive amounts of Heartless big and small.

"Well you'd better go see the King then," said Dale. I nodded and I left the Gummi Hangar. Not more than a minute later, I had arrived at the throne room door. I walked inside to see King Mickey reading a book while sitting on the throne. I walked towards him and bowed. King Mickey placed the book aside and looked over at me.

"Welcome back, Alex. How did it go?" Asked King Mickey.

"Good, very good, here is the data," I said as I handed over the disc with the copied data.

"Alright, I'll summon everyone here. Then you can present your findings." Shortly afterwards everyone had arrived. Among the group was Queen Minnie, Donald, Goofy, Chip, Dale, and several others that I didn't recognize. I then proceeded to present the data, but I chose to talk about my Father last. Everyone looked troubled at the info I had presented.

"Gawrsh, they sure don't sound like good guys," said Goofy.

"How powerful do you think they are, Alex?" Asked Donald. I shrugged.

"Beats me, I have encountered two of these people excluding the man in the Organization XIII outfit. The one in black was able to make Xigbar of Organization XIII look like a joke. Based on my observations, I'd say they are 10 times more powerful than any Organization XIII member. Even Roxas would lose if he tried to fight them." There were a bunch of whispers going around about this new info. "And I'm afraid the bad news doesn't end there."

"What else could there possibly be in suck dark times?" Asked Queen Minnie. I looked at King Mickey.

"Your Majesty, the man in the Organization XIII outfit... is Aldax, my Father." There were several gasps as they recognized the name. King Mickey had nearly fallen out of his throne in shock.

"Aldax? Impossible! He was such a nice kid, he would never join such a group," said King Mickey. I looked down at the ground.

"I didn't want to believe it either. But when I thought about it, it made sense. No one else could possibly know about voice scramblers which are from my home world." I said gravely.

"Have you figured out what exactly we are up against that could possibly threaten this Universe?" Asked Daisy. I shook my head.

"Not yet, but it's only a matter of time before I find out. I swear by my loyalty to His Majesty." I got up and summoned the Dark Horizon. "I swear that I will do whatever it takes to stop this fire from growing any bigger."

"Alex, it's up to you. But if things become far too dangerous, come back and ask for help right away. You're not alone in this y'know. And I'm sure Sora, Riku, and Kairi wouldn't mind lending a hand." I nodded.

"I'll remember that, Your Majesty," I said. But deep down, that's the last thing I want. I would only ask for help in the absolute worse case scenario when there isn't any hope of victory on my own. So in other words: a last resort.

"Yeah! We'll help!" Shouted Donald as he pulled out his wand/staff thing and started swirling it around in the air.

"Donald, put that away before someone get's hurt!" Said Daisy. Donald frowned and put his staff away.

"Oh sorry," he said.

"I'll get some rest, tomorrow I'll plan my next move," I said. I bowed. "If you'll excuse me." I began to walk away.

"Wait Alex," said King Mickey. I stopped and looked over at His Majesty.

"Yes Your Majesty?" I asked.

"Whatever happens out there, remember what Ansem told you: do what your Heart commands."

"I'll remember those words. Well see you all later," I said as I waved and headed towards my room. As I got there I got ready for bed, and went to sleep.

* * *

That night I had a dream. I saw the events of the past few days playing back like a video. Only at times there were distortions and at random points it would rewind for a few seconds and then playback. It would repeat this process several times, some more than others. And then I had a strange vision of my Father. I walked towards him.

"Why are you siding with them?" I asked. He didn't respond. "Why won't you talk?" Suddenly he faded away and then those strange creatures appeared. There was a bright flash and next thing I knew it, I was standing in the courtyard of Disney Castle... only it was dark and everything was in flames. There were those strange creatures walking around all over the place. I saw pieces of something white scattered across the lower wall. I slowly walked towards it and as I took a closer look at it I gasped. It was a subject of Disney Castle who had turned white for some reason and was now in pieces all over the place. I looked around and saw similar things or regular corpses. "W-what is this? What's going on?" The flames grew bigger and higher.

* * *

I shot up from my bed, sweating and breathing heavily. I looked around at my dark room and then up at the window. Moonlight poured through it steadily, like pouring gravy out of a bowl. I let out a sigh.

"Oh, it was just a dream," I said. I pulled up my digital holo-clock to see what time it was. "It's 2 AM already? Wow, I've been asleep a lot longer than..." I was cut off by a sudden Chime sound. I looked over and saw Nephilim standing in front of me. "Nephilim? What are you doing here?" I asked.

* * *

So what has our favorite little girl of crypticness come to tell Alex? Find out in the next chapter. Anyway, please review. 


	3. The Burden of Responsibility

Here's the next chapter, enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Ocean, Kingdom Hearts, or Xenosaga.

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Chapter 3: The Burden of Responsibility

"_The time has come, Alex," _Said Nephilim as she put her hands together, as if in prayer.

"The time has come? What time are you talking about? Enough crypticness already, get to the point." I exclaimed in a tone of annoyance. It was late and I wasn't in the mood for these mind games.

"_You must leave this place at once, for tonight your Journey begins." _

"Wait a minute, my Journey? What are you talking about? I'm not going on any Journey!"

"_You are the only one who can save this Universe. And not just this Universe, but all the Universes." _I was about ready to snap. I was so sick and tired of people saying that I am supposed to save the Universe without explaining why.

"Tell me! What am I supposed to save the Universe from?" I demanded. Suddenly everything faded into darkness, leaving only Nephilim and I standing there. We appeared in space with several worlds scattered here and there. There was a small chunk of land with trees and everything. "That's... the land mass that Chip and Dale told me about!" I exclaimed. I could have sworn that I saw something glowing somewhere on the land mass. Then all of a sudden a bunch of transparent things that looked like sea creatures started floating up from the land mass. I looked over at Nephilim. "What are those things? They aren't Heartless or Nobodies?"

"_These creatures are known as the Gnosis. You encountered several types of Gnosis yesterday." _I looked at the creatures again and then back at Nephilim.

"THOSE things are the Gnosis? I had heard of them before, but why are they in this Universe?" I demanded. Suddenly everything melted away and then Destiny Islands appeared. Riku was trying to fight these strange creatures but it was no use. He couldn't hurt them. I looked over to see Sora was dead and Kairi was a lifeless, white statue. The creature sent Riku's Keyblade flying through the air and grabbed him. Riku began to turn white like the statue that was once Kairi and then he shattered into pieces. "NO!" I exclaimed as I ran towards the Gnosis, but it suddenly vanished. I examined the white pieces that had been Riku seconds ago. "What? This is... salt!" This horrid side melted away too and was replaced by another vision of hell. This time, it was the hallway in Disney Castle. There were hundreds of Gnosis slowly advancing towards King Mickey. Queen Minnie was running from them.

"Mickey! We've lost our last line of defense! Donald and Goofy are..." King Mickey looked down at the ground.

"No... this can't be happening," said King Mickey as he looked at the ground. The Gnosis started to run towards the two. In despair, the two of them embraced tightly in their final moments. I rushed towards them.

"No!" I exclaimed. But it was too late, I got there just in time to witness the horrible scene of seeing both of them killed. The Gnosis disappeared and the Castle began to distort. All around me were the corpses of the Disney Castle subjects. I collapsed to the ground as I saw the bodies of my fellow comrades. Goofy was propped up against the wall with heavily bleeding injuries. Donald was stuck on one of the pillars with a strange sword like weapon impaled through him. This was too much for me to handle, I lowered my head and threw up. I wiped my mouth off as I looked over at Nephilim.

"What is this hellish vision? What is going on here?" I asked with a tone of fear in my voice. I had heard that the Gnosis could not be beaten unless you drew their physical bodies into this realm of existence. This was done via something called the Hilbert Effect. But to think that these monsters could cause this kind of horror, it's unthinkable.

"_What you just saw was a vision of the future, an inevitable future." _Commented Nephilim as she moved towards me.I got up from the ground and walked over to Donald's corpse and managed to carefully get him off the pillar. Then I looked back over at Nephilim.

"But why? Why did the Gnosis come into this Universe? How could they have possibly crossed the boundaries between this Universe and the one they come from?"

"_The door that was opened one year ago, it connected these two Universes."_ She paused. _"You know what I speak of." _Then it hit me quicker than a thunderbolt. I never would have thought of it. But it became all so clear.

"It can't be..." I said, not wanting to accept the facts.

"_Yes, it was you who opened the door. It is because of you, that this Universe will be... destroyed." _I fell to the ground and started slamming the ground and shaking my head.

"No! No! NO! It can't be! I don't want to believe it!" I exclaimed. I looked around at the slaughter caused by the Gnosis. "This is ALL MY FAULT? This will happen because of me?" I exclaimed hysterically.

"_Alex, the truth is not always pleasant." _

"NOOOOOOOOOOO! Not again, not again, NOT AGAIN! First it was the Executioners... AND NOW THIS! I promised Ansem I would protect this Universe! How could I possibly be responsible for it's destruction?" I shouted at the top of my lungs as my voice wavered and broke. My knees gave way and I lay on the ground, motionless. I looked up at Nephilim pathetically. "Is there anything that can be done to prevent this? Anything at all? Is there any way to gain redemption for this? Can the deaths of countless good people be prevented? TELL ME!"

"_At this point, this future is nearly inevitable. But that doesn't mean that the future cannot be changed, nor is it set in stone. Even the smallest of waves can spread through out the whole. Phenomenon change with every moment, just like a drifting wave." _Nephilim paused and looked around at the castle as it faded back into darkness. _"Alex, you can prevent this visions from becoming the future. You must close the door and seal it with your Keyblade, once and for all. To do this, you must find Zarathustra. Once you have found it, you must destroy it. Only then will the Keyhole appear." _Nephilim began to disappear. But before she did she left me a message: _"Alex, your Journey begins now. Go to the land mass, Reuel's Tomb." _With that, Nephilim vanished and I found myself back in my room, all alone. I got up from the ground and looked out the window.

"It's time to go!" I said. The Dark Horizon appeared in my hand.

"Isn't it a bit early in the morning? It's still only 2..." Started the Dark Horizon.

"I know that, but we can't delay any longer." I said. I quickly assembled some small things that I would need for the road ahead. From items (like potions, ethers, elixirs, etc) to miscellaneous odds and ends like a few gadgets that I had made along with my Connection Gear. Perhaps Shion and the others might be able to help me out with this, but that's only if I haven no other choice. Before leaving, I quickly took out a piece of paper and started writing. When I had finished writing I put it into an envelop and left it on my desk. I put my brown leather jacket with the Nobody symbol on the back of it over my shoulder and I walked out of my room.

I quickly snuck down to the main hallway. From here I would have to be extra careful. I wouldn't want to be caught by anyone, especially the King. This is my battle, the last thing I want are innocent people like my friends getting involved. I wouldn't want them to get hurt because of my stupid mistakes. I arrived at the Courtyard, so far so good. The only thing nearby was one of the walking brooms that was too busy doing chores to notice me. I ran down into the Gummi Hangar and looked around. Everything was still on, but it looked like Chip and Dale had cashed in for the night. I pressed some buttons on the control panel and my ship came sliding onto the launching deck. I quickly got onboard and turned on the power. "Here we go!" I exclaimed as the ship was shot down the launching deck and towards space. As I got out into open space I set a course for the Land Mass. I looked back at Disney Castle as it slowly faded into the distance.

"Sorry guys, I can't get you involved in this. This is my battle. I hope you can forgive me for leaving so suddenly," I said. I knew this was the right choice, so I didn't feel any regret. My ship continued to fly towards the land mass. A little while later, my screen started flashing a message. "1 Parsec to go till I reach it. It won't be much longer now."

* * *

Meanwhile... on Elicoor II, Arias.

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Luther shot up from his bed. He was breathing heavily, as if he had just had a terrible nightmare. Luther looked around at the darkened room. The Twilight Horizon appeared.

"What did you sense?" Asked the Twilight Horizon.

"I heard Alex, he was screaming. Not only that, I felt emotions that weren't mine. I felt fear, regret, and desperation." Said Luther. He put a hand to his forehead. "What was that?"

"When wielders of the Horizon meet, they become connected. They can feel the emotions and hear the thoughts of other wielders. It is an important bond between the four of you." Luther nodded and then put on his black tunic.

"I could use a breath of fresh air," said Luther as he walked out of the mansion and looked up at the stars. He didn't say anything as he dismissed the Twilight Horizon. The air was cool and crisp and the only sounds were small bugs like crickets. He heard the door open and the sound of footsteps. He didn't need to turn around to know who it was. "What are doing up so late, Clair?" Asked Luther.

"I was going to ask you the same thing," said Clair as she walked over to Luther. He looked over at her and smiled.

"I just needed some fresh air," said Luther. Clair stood at Luther's side and looked into his eyes.

"There is more to it than that, I can tell. What's on your mind?"

"I have a connection with those who wield Horizons. Just now I heard Alex's voice, and I felt what he was feeling."

"Alex? What did you hear?"

"I heard his screams of fear and denial." Luther looked up at the stars. "Something has happened in that Universe. Something very bad." Luther looked at Clair. "I'm sorry but I will have to go soon. These Universes are connected. Whatever fate befalls them will be the fate of this Universe."

"Do what you must," said Clair as she held Luther's hand and rested her head on his left shoulder. They continued to stare out into the distance and the night sky, just the two of them.

* * *

SWITCHING BACK TO ALEX

* * *

I finally arrived at the land mass. I found a flat plateau to land my ship on. I examined the area by using the system's scanners. It looks likes like I could use my new combat mode to take my ship with me. Well closer to the tomb area at least. I used my radar and scanner to locate the tomb.

"So it's off to the west then. Alright." I looked around at the plateau I was on. I saw a path that lead downwards. "Looks like there might be a way down from there. I'll just have to try." I activated the combat mode. My ship suddenly transformed into a large robotic suit. Judging by how high up I was, combat mode was at least 16 meters in size. The cockpit had remained relatively the same, it could still hold only one person. I began to head down the path that lead towards the ground. It turns on that this path didn't lead EXACTLY to the bottom but into a cave, most likely a series of corridors carved into the plateau that would hopefully lead to the bottom. Without hesitation I proceeded into the cave and into the narrow corridors. Every now and then I saw some sort of purplish pink crystalline material in clusters, I even managed to obtain a sample of it that was lying on the ground. The cavern seemed to be leading me downwards, towards the ground. And as I reached an opening that lead to the outside of the cave I saw something more unusual. There was actually grass and life here. And fortunately... no sign of any Heartless, Nobodies, or Gnosis. I used the scanners to make sure I was at the right spot. Fortunately for me, the cave corridors had lead me in the right path. The tomb was about 2 miles from my current position, to the North-West.

Before moving onwards, I pulled out a chocolate chip granola bar. I ate it as I began to walk through the forest. After a mile I began to wonder if there was any life on this rock at all. I mean there was a lot of flora, but no fauna. Not even a sign of a single Heartless. There was something very strange about this place, that was for sure. About 10 minutes later I had arrived at a large rock wall with a small cave opening at the bottom. Before I pulled out my space suit I knew that I should at least check air conditions.

"Somehow the air is breathable..." I said after I got the results. "Then again, anything goes in this Universe." I got out of my craft and walked into the cave. In that moment, I realized that this wasn't an ordinary cave. It looked like a temple of some sort. There were large pillars stretching down a long corridor. I chuckled to myself as I looked back at the entrance. The entrance had made this place look a lot smaller than it actually was. I walked down the corridor, somehow a lot of this place had remained in tact. As if this place had been sleeping in some sort of dimensional pocket in which it could not be touched. The next room was small and square shaped. In front of me was some sort of formation that should have been a door. But it blocked my way. On the front was an inscription. It was in some sort of lost language, and yet I knew how to read it. It's the strangest feeling to know something that you don't. Not to mention it doesn't make much sense either. But there are some things in life that are better left not questioned. The message said something on the lines of:

"_To my dear Reuel. May you rest in peace. And thank you... for everything you have done."_

It looked as if there was a name inscribed below the message but it had been worn away by the decay of time. As I read the message I couldn't help but get this feeling that Reuel was more involved with whatever is going on than I had thought. And that message, could this have been written by that woman? Suddenly a glowing keyhole appeared in the middle of the 'door'. I summoned the Dark Horizon and used it to open the lock. The rock started glowing and as the light faded away, so did it. The next room was MASSIVE. There were pillars here that were twice as big as the ones in the entrance hall, hell maybe even three or four times as big. And in front of me was a large door that was open, showing space. How there was no vacuum, I have no idea. And right in the middle of the room was a coffin made of stone. I read the inscription on the lid.

"Here lies Reuel, Guardian of Our Blessed Saint. May God guide his soul to the Eternal Paradise." I read.

"So this is all that remains of my former wielder," said the Dark Horizon as it appeared in my hand again.

"Looks like it." Suddenly there was a flash of light and my craft stood there in front of me. "What the? Who brought this thing here?"

"No idea, but you'll need it to survive out in space." I nodded in acknowledgment to this.

"Good point." I took one last look at Reuel's tomb and I got onboard my craft. I accelerated and went through the door, into the other Universe. Switching back to ship mode, I began to fly in this unknown space. I had never been outside of the Durandal so I had no idea where things were or anything at all. All I had was my instincts, and that wasn't assuring in the least.

* * *

MEANWHILE BACK AT DISNEY CASTLE

* * *

It was Morning, and everyone was having breakfast. As King Mickey looked over at the empty spot at the long table, he knew something was wrong. He looked over at Donald and Goofy who were both busy stuffing their faces. Then he looked at his wife, who seemed to notice that something wasn't right as well. Finally, King Mickey said something.

"Has anyone seen Alex this morning?" Asked King Mickey.

"He wasn't in the library as he usually is in the morning," said Queen Minnie.

"Yes, the two of us had gone in there this morning and there was no one in there," said Daisy.

"Gwarsh, and he's always at the table by now," said Goofy as he put down his fork.

"He might've slept in," suggested Donald.

"That's a possibility, but I don't know," stated King Mickey as he leaned back in his chair. Donald got up from his chair.

"I'll go check up on him."

"Yeah, he wouldn't want to miss out on these delicious pancakes and waffles a-hyuck!" Added Goofy. Donald left Dinning Hall and headed up to Alex's room. He cleared his throat and knocked on the door.

"Alex! Wake up already! Breakfast is on the table and if you don't hurry, Goofy's going to eat the last two sausages!" Called Donald as he knocked on the door. There was no response. "Alex? Are you in there?" He knocked several times and there was no response. Donald bursted into angry gibberish. "That's it!" He slammed the door open, only to find no one in there. "What? No one saw him anywhere in the castle and he's not in his room... where could he be?" That was when Donald noticed a letter on the desk, with Alex's wax seal on it and everything. He opened the letter and started reading it. As he finished Donald slumped. "This is like deja vu." There was a long pause and then Donald ran out of the room screaming more gibberish. Donald came bursting into the Dinning Hall while still shouting Gibberish. Everyone stopped talking immediately and looked over at Donald as he handed the letter to the King. "Alex wasn't there, Your Majesty! He's vanished into thin air! This is all I found." King Mickey took the letter from Donald and began to read it aloud.

_I'm sorry to leave so suddenly without even as much as saying Goodbye. It seems that the situation is far off worse than I thought. This is all my fault, and if I don't do something every single world shall be destroyed. I'll send periodic letters like this one with the transport system I had created. In any case, be prepared for a possible fight in the near future. By the time you read this I will probably be in the other Universe. Zarathustra is here somewhere, and if I destroy it I can save our Universe. But this will undoubtedly take a very long time. So be prepared. That landmass is actually the gateway to the other Universe, this is the gate that the enemy will use to come here. _

_Well that's all for now,_

_-Alex_

Everyone was silent. They weren't sure what to say about what they had heard. Even King Mickey seemed very silent. At last he broke the silence.

"I've got a very bad feeling about this," he said.

"Me too," said Queen Minnie. King Mickey looked at Donald and Goofy.

"Donald, Goofy, after Breakfast meet me in my throne room. We'll talk about what to do about this situation there."

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Said both of them at the same time.

* * *

MEANWHILE... IN WILHELM'S OFFICE...

* * *

The man in red stood before Wilhelm who was standing up and looking out the window instead of sitting down.

"It appears part of the S-Line Division data leaked," said the man in red.

"It's her handiwork. It seems she's working very hard," said Wilhelm as he looked over at the man in red.

"The leak includes information about that program." Wilhelm didn't seem to care all that much. His face didn't show any sign of change at all.

"It doesn't matter. They have little power. Actually, it's all rather endearing. They think their cage is the entire world, and they believe they can change it. Let's just watch them for a while." There was a brief pause as neither of them said a word. Wilhelm looked out the window again but then he looked back at his ally. "But enough of that. How did things go at Rennes-le-Château? Is everything ready?"

"Everything is proceeding as planned. The transport to Fifth Jerusalem is complete. We're ready for the Zohar Project demonstration. Do you intend to leave that location as is?" Asked the man in Red.

"Yes. Ormus needs a sign that they can see with their own eyes. As long as they have their proof, they will continue to sacrifice themselves to protect their idol. For that is the source of their hope. There isn't much time left for her as well. Contact with KOS-MOS has taken its toll on her. You must succeed this time."

"I understand. I will tend to her myself." Wilhelm continued to look out at the stars.

"She emits good wavelength, just as you said."

"Thank you." That was when he decided to bring up the next subject of discussion. "By the way, we've confirmed a crossing. HE has returned at last."

"Good, he's on time."

"Are you sure you want things to proceed like this? When Ormus finds him, they will blow up his ship, not knowing who he is."

"Do not worry. Everything is under control and proceeding as planned. After all, his true identity will be what allows him to survive that encounter."

* * *

SWITCHING BACK TO ALEX

* * *

I continued venturing in this unknown region of space. After awhile my sensors had picked up something unusual. It was some sort of object not too far away from my current position. At first I would have assumed it was a regular ol' asteroid. But then my sensors also identified that this object was causing a gravitational disturbance. Whatever this thing is, it wouldn't hurt to check it out. Shortly afterwards I saw the object.

"Another one?" I exclaimed. There was a second land mass in front of me. But this one was much bigger. I quickly scanned it for some more info. This one was 20 Kilometers bigger than the one nearby Disney Castle. Then a warning signal went off as several red dots appeared on the radar. I looked up to see a fleet of strange ships. They were all dark gray and looked like they were made of scales. They looked alien like essentially. They all seemed to be coming towards me. "All that against me? They must not want me to land on that land mass." I switched to combat mode and got ready for the attack. Oddly enough they weren't firing at me. But then a whole bunch of smaller red dots appeared on my radar. I looked back up to see a whole bunch of mechanical suits coming towards me. In front was a tall skinny one with a yellow half sphere for a face and a large saber in it's hand. Next to the skinny one was a large one that was coated in an extra layer of armor, and it's weapon was a staff of some sort. The units started surrounding me and then the front two confronted me.

"Welcome, we've been expecting you," said a voice from the skinny unit (through the transmission system).

"Expecting me? You knew I was coming?" I asked.

"Yes, we come in peace. We ask that you come with us," said a voice from the large unit. I hesitated at first, who are these people? And how did they know that I was coming? But in this situation, since I'm badly outnumbered by both suits and ships I had better cooperate with these guys.

"Alright, in that case I'll go with you guys." I said as I switched off combat mode.

"This way," said the skinny unit as they all turned around and headed towards the biggest ship. I followed them to their ship and into it's main hangar. A few seconds later, I had gotten off my ship and was now standing in a strange ship with people I had never met before. One thing I noticed was that everyone from pilots to mechanics to soldiers, and so on and so forth were all starring at me. Not a look that most people would give a stranger, but a look of respect and awe. I heard some whispers here and there but I couldn't hear them well enough to know what they were saying. Out of the two lead suits came a guy with long blonde hair and was dressed like a girl... okay, I've seen some interesting characters before but this guy beats quite a few of them. The other guy was a large muscular man with a short black beard and wore a strange hat.

"Wait right there, we'll go get the Commander," said the big man. The two of them walked off down a hallway. The people continued starring at me. Wow, I didn't think that I was THAT unusual of a sight. The two of them came back with a man with short purple hair, no eyebrows, a large scar on the right side of his face that went down from his brow to his jaw. He had a tough scowl/look to his face and had a sword strapped to the front of his outfit. He walked towards me.

"So you've come at last. Welcome back to this realm, Reuel," said the man. I gave him a slightly confused look. Yet another person who is calling me Reuel, what's up with that?

"Um yeah, so who are you?" I asked.

"I am Chief Inquisitor Margulis," he answered.

"So you said you've been waiting for me?"

"Yes, Lord Heinlein predicted that you would come in a black craft. And here you are."

"Lord Heinlein? Who is that?" I asked. If this Heinlein guy knew that I was coming then he must know a bit about who I am. It would be a good idea to speak with this man and find out how he knew that I was coming.

"His eminence is the new Patriarch of Ormus," said Margulis. He smirked. "A good replacement for that old fool Sergius." The words Ormus and Patriarch registered instantly, Shion and the others had told me about this group and that Patriarch. Then he was eliminated by a mysterious group in colored cloaks... but what that group was called I don't remember, but their description did seem familiar. "Lord Heinlein also said he'd like to speak with you once you have arrived. I will take you to him." Margulis began walking towards the Hangar exit. I didn't hesitate to follow him. He led me through many corridors towards a large door. Standing nearby was a woman with short light tan hair. She wore a strange black outfit that was all one piece like a dress.

"Is this him, Margulis?" She asked as she looked at me.

"Yes Pellegri, this is indeed Reuel." He said. She looked back at me and then over at Margulis again.

"At first glance, it would be hard to believe. But his eyes tell a different story," she added.

"Looks are deceiving," said Margulis. "Now, let's not keep him waiting any longer." Margulis pressed a button and the door slid open. We walked into the next room, which was furnished to look like a cathedral. But the lack of good lighting made this place seem anything but divine. In front of the large emblem of a tree with an upside down cross was a strange, large diamond that radiated with strong white light. "Your Eminence, I have brought Reuel." Said Margulis as he bowed.

"You have done well, Margulis. You are dismissed," said a voice which I assumed belong to Heinlein. Margulis rose up and left the room. Leaving me here with this person. "Welcome Reuel, or do you prefer Alex?" Asked Heinlein.

"Call me what you want, but I honestly would prefer being called Alex," I answered.

"Very well."

"So you said you wanted to speak with me?" I asked.

"Yes, I foresaw your coming. And I shall point you in the right direction."

"The right direction to what?"

"To right direction to save your Universe." I was still surprised at how this man knew so much. Who is this Heinlein guy anyway? But even so, hearing this gave me some hope, finally I would find out where to start!

"Really? Where do I start?"

"Alex, go to Fifth Jerusalem. There you will be caught up in the events that shall soon be set in motion. And take this, it will help." There was a small spark of light on the ground next to me. I bent down as I saw some sort of card sitting on the ground. I picked it up and looked at it. It appeared to be some sort of card that was labeled: Galaxy Federation VIP. Surprisingly, a bunch of info about me was filled in on the card already. Including my date of birth in a strange year system I had never seen before, TC or something like that.

"How will this help?" I asked.

"It will, and that's all you need to know."

"_Well I'm sorry for asking, yeesh," _I said in my thoughts.

"Take this as well." Another spark of light manifested and a green holo-screen the size of a piece of paper appeared. On it were some coordinates that could be inserted into my ship's computer system. "This is the location of Fifth Jerusalem." The door opened. "Now it's time for you to go."

"But why are you...?" I started I was cut off as Margulis came in.

"Your Eminence, I will escort him to the hangar," said Margulis. I gave up trying to ask any more questions and I followed Margulis to the Hangar. It was all I could do, it seemed like this Heinlein guy didn't want to give too much info. As we arrived in front of my craft, Margulis suddenly saluted me. "I do not know what His Eminence has told you, but I wish you luck in whatever you must do from this point on." I nodded.

"Thank you." I got onboard my craft and before I knew it I was back in space. I entered the coordinates that Heinlein had given me and I headed towards this Fifth Jerusalem place... wherever that is.

* * *

So what will Alex find on Fifth Jerusalem? And what events will he get caught up in? Find out in the next chapter. :P Anyway, please review. 


	4. The Demonstration

Thanks goes to everyone who reviewed (You know who you are), here's the next chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, Star Ocean, or Xenosaga.

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Chapter 4: The Demonstration

King Mickey, Queen Minnie, Donald, Goofy, and Daisy all met in the conference room on the 2nd floor. It was like a smaller version of the 1st floor library. No one seemed to be smiling right now though, no the room was filled with grim faces.

"As you are all aware, Alex said to be prepared. Now the question is how are we going to do this?" Asked King Mickey. "That is the objective of this meeting, to answer that question and act." King Mickey pulled out a paper and passed it around. "This is an image of the landmass floating between this world and Twilight Town. We lost Alex's ship signal somewhere around the middle of the landmass, according to Chip and Dale."

"You don't think his ship was destroyed was it?" Asked Daisy.

"I don't think that's the case. There must have been some sort of portal that lead somewhere. Which would explain why we have lost contact with him."

"What'll we do, Your Majesty?" Asked Goofy.

"For now, we will let Alex take care of whatever he must do. He is not only part Nobody but he's also the wielder of one of the Horizons. I think he'll be fine."

"So we must focus on preparing for whatever it is coming," said Queen Minnie. King Mickey nodded.

"That's right. But first we need to learn more about what's going on here," he said.

"We don't even know what we're up against," added Donald.

"I believe I can help you there," said a voice in the corner of the room. Everyone shot around and looked over in the direction of the Voice's owner. There stood Luther holding a disc in his hand. "I hacked into Aldax's database and I found this."

"Luther? When did you get here?" Asked King Mickey.

"Just now, Your Majesty," said Luther as he walked towards the table.

"So what is that gadget you are holding?" Asked Queen Minnie.

"It's CD. Like I said, it holds data taken from Aldax's database back over at Sphere."

"Then let's access that da... whatever it's called," said Goofy.

"If only it were that simple. I managed to copy the file, but it is encrypted with high level security. Sphere's top security levels I might add. As a result, it can't be opened unless we decrypt it."

"That can't be done on any terminal that Alex installed here?" Asked Daisy. Luther shook his head.

"No, the units here are all standard models. We'd need something a lot more powerful."

"How about Ansem's Computer at Radiant Garden?" Suggested King Mickey. Luther folded his arms and thought about this suggestion.

"Yeah, that might work. It can't hurt to try it," he said.

"Alright, let's head to Radiant Garden!" Said Donald.

"Donald, Goofy, Luther, and I shall go," said King Mickey. He looked over at Queen Minnie and held her hands. "We'll be back soon, I promise."

"Don't worry, take as long as you need," said Queen Minnie.

* * *

SWITCHING TO ALEX

* * *

For what seemed like a few hours I flew through the Darkness of space. It would still be many hours before I got to my destination. Maybe even a day or so. And to top it off I had forgotten to refuel the ship before heading out from Disney Castle. At one point the ship just stopped moving altogether and started floating idly. I slammed my hand down on the screen in frustration.

"Dammit! I can't do anything if I get stuck like this!" I exclaimed. I had no choice, so I just flipped the distress signal on. I knew that the chances of being rescued were slim. But I still had to try. I can't let everything end here. That was when my radar picked something up. "A large ship incoming? From where? There's nothing on the..." Suddenly there was a burst of light and a massive red ship with wings near the end floating around in a circle appeared. I was glued to my seat in shock, I didn't know that I was going to get help on this grand a scale. But then the ships size and appearance reminded me of something I had seen on a screen. "It can't be... the Durandal?" My transmitter began beeping. I activated it to answer the incoming transmission. A familiar voice followed afterwards.

"Attention pilot of black ship! Are you still alive?" Asked the voice.

"Jr!" I exclaimed. There was a pause on the line.

"A-Alex? Is that you?" A screen popped up with Jr on it. "Well I wasn't expecting to meet you of all people here."

"I'm glad that you guys are here. I'm out of fuel and this thing won't go any further."

"Alright, well we don't have time for details so we'll quickly pick you up and we'll be on our way." Suddenly two green lights shot down from the ship and pulled up my craft into the hangar. "Do you know how to get to the bridge from where you are right now?"

"Yeah, I can take the train to the bridge," I said.

"Okay, see you soon." The screen went blank and I got off my ship. I watched as the craft was shifted towards a long row of various other ships and crafts. As it got parked I headed towards the train system and selected the bridge. I got into the small train and it took me to my destination. As I got out I saw Jr, chaos, Jin, Ziggy, and MOMO all standing next to the elevator.

"This is an unexpected encounter," said Jin.

"Yes, it's good to see all of you again. You're all looking well." I said.

"So do you, it is good to see you again," said chaos.

"What brings you here?" Asked Ziggy. I hesitated for a moment. I didn't want to tell them about why I was here, at least not yet. So I had to come up with a quick story.

"Oh I was just in the area so I thought I'd come and pay a visit. But man, it took me awhile to find you guys," I responded.

"Well we've been kind of busy," said Jr.

"Busy what are you working on?"

"Well it's like this..." Started MOMO. They all explained what had happened recently. They mentioned the floating land mass, the Ormus attack, the Elsa getting damaged and then falling down towards the landmass as a hyper sphere formed around it. I had heard of hyper spheres before, but it was believed that they weren't even a possible phenomenon.

"Hmm, so how do you guys plan on rescuing them?"

"That's the problem, we tried to destroy the hyper sphere but our weapons didn't have any effect on it," said Jr.

"So we have decided to go back to Fifth Jerusalem where we had started this job from," said chaos.

"_What a coincidence. That will make everything a lot easier for me," _I said in my thoughts.

"If there is anywhere you need to go, we could set up a transport for you," offered Jin.

"No it's okay. I don't have anywhere in particular to go, so I'll go with you guys. If that's okay that is."

"I don't have any objections," commented Jr. He looked over at everyone else. "Is that okay with you guys?"

"It's fine with me," said chaos.

"Sure," said MOMO cheerfully.

"I have no objections either, but hopefully nothing will happen that gets Alex dragged into our issues," said Jin.

"I don't have any problems with him coming with us," finished Ziggy.

"Alright then that's settled, it won't be long before we reached Fifth Jerusalem," said Jr. Sure enough, Jr was right about that. About twenty or thirty minutes later we arrived at Fifth Jerusalem's Orbital Tower. It was pretty much a large tower that went all the way from the ground to just above the Atmosphere. The Durandal began to dock, we were all at the bridge waiting for the process to finish. Jr seemed very impatient at the slow progress.

"What's taking so long?" He finally exclaimed.

"There are a lot of procedures that most be taken care of since the Durandal is a big ship," said Shelly.

"I know! But we don't have that sort of time to wait!"

"Jr relax, there is nothing we can do right now," said chaos.

"Guh, not even the Federation's Space Ports are on top of things!" Groaned Jr. For what seemed like at least an hour we had to wait onboard the Durandal. Finally we managed to dock. I looked up as I identified a scent somewhere on the surface of the planet. This scent... it was Shion's. I had gone to the observation deck to look at the bustling space port. There were all kinds of ships coming in and out. Not only that I then saw something in the distance that caught my eye. There was a large, round ship of some sort that was shaped like a top without a handle.

"_What is that thing?"_ I asked in my thoughts.

"Well looks like Shion is here," said chaos. I looked away from the ominous looking ship and over at chaos.

"She is? How do you know?" He pointed to a small white craft that was docked right next to the Durandal. It was a mobile suit class, no doubt. And yet I could sense that a strange source of energy was coming from it.

"That's the ES Dinah, Shion and KOS-MOS use that craft," explained chaos.

"Oh, so that's how you know," I said.

"I'll go call her," said chaos as he walked towards a row of screens with a keyboard under each one. I followed chaos over. After pressing some buttons the machine started to ring. A few seconds later, Shion appeared on the screen.

"chaos? How've you been!" Said Shion.

"I'm fine. You're looking well." Said chaos. Shion's eyes shifted over to me.

"Alex? When did you come back to this Universe?"

"A few hours ago, it's good to see you again," I said.

"Like wise, you look like you are doing well." She looked over at chaos. "So what's with the sudden... wait, that communication code…are you on this planet?" Asked Shion.

"Yeah, we just arrived. They made us wait quite a while during entry. It was hard trying to calm down Jr," said chaos.

"Jr.'s with you? Then..." Started Shion.

"Yeah. We're all here. We came on the Durandal," explained chaos.

"The Durandal? That's unusual for you. What happened to the Elsa?" chaos looked down at the ground.

"Umm..." Shion seemed concerned now and chaos being unable to answer. "Actually, that's what I need to talk to you about."

"Hm?" Asked Shion.

"Do you have some free time right now?" Now Shion's concern and worry seemed all but blatant now.

"Huh? Sure, but is something wrong?"

"I'll head there now. Where do you want to meet?"

"How about the café near the Möbius Hotel?" Suggested Shion.

"Okay."

"See you soon, then." The communication ended and the screen went blank. chaos turned around and looked over at me.

"Would you like to come?" He asked.

"Hm, sure why not? I don't have anything else to do," I said. We headed towards the elevator that would take us down to the planet. To my surprise, the elevator was huge and it was furnished like a room in a fancy house. There were chairs, sofas, even snack and drink machines. We got on and the large door closed. I could feel the elevator begin to descend towards the planet. There was a small window so we could sort of see the atmosphere as we went downwards. Eventually we got down to a point where we could see the land below the clouds. It was currently night and the massive city was decorated with lights.

"Wow," I commented with awe as we got closer and closer towards the ground. Not to long afterwards we reached the ground and we got out of the elevator. There was a map of the city nearby so we checked it out.

"Möbius Hotel is in the Business District. The café will most likely be not to far from the hotel," said chaos. I looked around at this next area. There were people all over the place, which was rather surprising since it was the evening. And every now and then, a car would go down the road. Connection our side with the other was a long bridge, not to mention it reduced the risk of becoming road kill significantly. From there we left the space port and headed out towards the café. After awhile of walking in the massive city, we finally found what we were looking for. As we arrived at the Café we saw Shion sitting down at a table. She noticed that we had gotten there as well.

"Hey guys," she said with a cheerful smile and a wave. We walked towards her and sat down. After ordering a round of drinks, chaos started talking about the situation. I had already heard about this so I listened to the news for awhile. It seemed to be mostly about Federation fleets fighting with Ormus. I looked over as I heard Shion's voice. "Unfortunately, I can't be of much help. You probably already know this, but I quit my job at Vector." I looked over at her.

"Wait, what? You quit? Why?" I asked.

"It's a long story," said Shion. The tone of her voice made it clear that this was not something she was particularly happy about. It must have been pretty bad, so I chose not to say anything else about it.

"Yeah, I heard from Jin," said chaos.

"I'll try contacting Allen, but it sounds like KOS-MOS may be mixed up in something else."

"Ah, don't worry about it too much. Anyway, I just wanted to let you in on what's going on."

"Sorry I can't be of more help." Shion and chaos looked up at the large TV screen, so I followed their action.

"Due to the acceleration of the Gnosis phenomenon, the Galaxy Federation government has issued an evacuation order to planetary governments in the outlying areas of Gnosis activities. The Federation government has issued a statement that the Gnosis phenomenon that occurred last month in Ogdoas space has resulted in the disappearance of over one hundred planetary governments in that region. The Galaxy Federation government has established an emergency task force and deployed A.G.W.S. to the regions in question, but it is believe that it has not resulted in the reduction of the phenomenon," announced the News Reporter. The word Gnosis caught my attention.

"_So the situation with the Gnosis has gotten worse here. I wonder how much time I have before they come through the gate." _I said in my thoughts.

"There are more incidents like this happening these days," added chaos.

"Jin's still on it, isn't he?" Asked Shion.

"Yes. He's on the Durandal right now, helping out with the Elsa's rescue."

"I see."

"Are you worried?" Asked chaos.

"Well, maybe a little. But it's not like he'd listen to me." That was when I noticed something. Shion seemed a bit unusually pale. She began to look like she wasn't feeling well. And judging by chaos' concerned glance at Shion, he noticed this as well.

"Shion? Are you all right? You look pale," said chaos.

"Oh, I'm fine. I've just been a little tired lately." Suddenly Shion passed out. But moments before she did I suddenly felt disoriented and there was a sharp but brief jab of pain in my head.

"Shion!" Exclaimed chaos as he shot up. I looked over at Shion and then at chaos.

"What just happened?" I asked.

"I don't know. Let's take her back to the hotel," responded chaos.

"Alright then let's get her there." We carried Shion to the hotel lobby. That was when we realized one thing, we didn't know what her hotel room number was. "So what now?"

"Shion has this card strapped on the side of her over shirt," said chaos as he raised up a card key that said: 702. He took the key and put it in the slot in the elevator. The doors behind us closed and we were taken up to the floor where 702 is. After arriving at her room we placed her on her bed. I took a look at her and checked her breathing.

"She seems to be fine," I said afterwards.

"Then we should let her get some rest," finished chaos.

"Good idea." We left the hotel and as we were about to walk away we heard voices from behind us.

"Hey you," said one voice. We stopped and looked over to see two people wearing a tan uniform and a strange headset that covered the top part of their head.

"Federation Soldiers," said chaos.

"Which one of you is Alex Rothrock?" Asked the other soldier. Now this surprised me, how is it that these people know who I am?

"I am," I said.

"You have been invited to the Demonstration at The Consolidated Advance Technology Testing Ground tomorrow at noon. It's on the east bay."

"Huh, who invited me to this Demonstration?" I asked. Man, from one weird twist to another. This has been a really _interesting_ day so far.

"I don't know, but whoever it was requested a Federation VIP to sit in for them." Now THAT sounded suspicious. Who would want me to attend a Demonstration. What's this Demonstration about anyway? Will they be showing things off or is it going to be some long, boring, meeting room presentation about a new program?

"That's all for now, good night sir," said the other soldier as they turned around and left.

"What was that about?" Asked chaos. I simply shrugged, well that's all I could do.

"I have no idea. It looks like I have been invited to some sort of Demonstration for some reason."

"I don't know what that's about, but if you go be careful."

"Yeah, well hopefully nothing bad will happen."

* * *

MEANWHILE AT THE CAT TESTING GROUND

* * *

In one of it's many rooms, two men stood in front of a holo-screen. One was sitting in a hover chair, the other was standing. The man standing had blonde hair and green eyes. He wore a long black shirt that went down to just above his kneecap, white pants, and white shoes. The other man in the chair had wavy purple hair, strange glasses covering his eyes, and a strange looking purple-ish outfit.

"So have you found that person you were looking for?" Asked the sitting man.

"Yes, he has no record and there is very little information about him. He is too suspicious to be a regular VIP. I want to see if he has connections with anyone at the Demonstration tomorrow. Especially if he has any connection with that man," replied the standing man.

"Hm, the mysterious developer of that new T-weapon system. Both of them are unknowns, so there is the possibility that they know each other." The sitting man looked up at his colleague. "But it seems like there is more to it than just checking who he is affiliated with. What is it about this individual that made you decide to make him a stand in VIP?"

"I have been sensing a strange wave length on this planet for awhile now. I believe that he is the source. He might be the wielder of one of those things."

"At such a young age, I find it hard to believe. And don't forget, the Y-data only hinted the possibility that those weapons exist. There is no actual proof that they are real."

"That is an understandable point of view. However, the fact that he gives off unusual waves, that is not that of the Zohar, leads me to believe that he is a wielder of the legendary Keyblade."

"And if he doesn't have any connection with that man? What will we do then?"

"If he proves to be a threat sometime in the near future, he will be killed. Keyblade or not, he is no match for the power of Omega Res Novae."

"IF we could actually get a stable link between the pilot and the emulator," added the man in the chair.

"That issue will be a thing of the past soon, Sellers," reassured the standing man.

* * *

SWITCHING BACK TO ALEX'S POV

* * *

Jr had given me a room to stay in on the Durandal for tonight. Let's just say I was grateful for getting a free room for the night. I was about to go to bed when I heard a familiar chime sound. I looked behind me to see Nephilim standing there.

"As you can see, I've gotten into this Universe," I said.

"_Yes, you have made good progress," _said Nephilim.

"So how am I supposed to save my Universe? Where is Zarathustra?"

"_Zarathustra still sleeps. Until it is activated you cannot destroy it. You must follow the path that has been set down, regardless of the danger, if you want to save your Universe... and this one as well." _

"Well that's just great, this Universe is in trouble as well, huh? It's one thing to save one Universe, there is no way I can possibly save two of them at the same time."

"_Alone it is impossible. But soon you will join them, and when you do... everything will begin. Their awakening... and yours too. Without her, there can be no hope of saving either Universe." _Is it just me, or is Nephilim being more cryptic lately?

"My awakening? Their Awakening? Her? What is this all about? Who is this woman you speak of?"

"_An important person, someone very dear to you. Someone you know, yet you don't know them." _

"What are you talking about? I don't..."

"_Alex, what is it you fight for? To protect your friends? To protect the Universes? Is it for love? Is it for yourself? For your sake you had better find the answers to those questions soon... do not lose sight of yourself or you will be ensnared into the same trap that she will begin to fall into soon." _With that Nephilim vanished. Leaving me alone in that room. What she said was very disturbing. What could possibly happen that would cause me to lose sight of who I am? Only one me after all. With these strange new bits of info I went to bed.

That night I had a strange dream. I was standing on a field which was a lot like all the other places in my visions. But unlike the others I was in some new area. I began to walk down the hill as I explored this strange place. After a while I came to a place with tombstones placed her and there. Unlike the other area, this place was completely normal. It wasn't all white, no this place looked like a regular field. I heard footsteps from a direction nearby. So out of instinct I looked over. There stood chaos in a strange suit that looked like a robe. The sleeves were white and the front part was green.

"chaos?" I asked.

"Reuel, don't let her death fill your heart with grief. She wouldn't want either of us to suffer," said chaos.

"What?" Even chaos was starting to act weird in my dreams. What the hell is going on here?

I woke up from my dream and I checked my clock. It was about 15 minutes before noon. That was when I remembered that today was the Demonstration. I checked a map of Fifth Jerusalem that I had picked up yesterday.

"The East Bay is quite a ways away from here. I had better hurry," I said. I quickly left the Durandal and descended to the city. From there I head off towards the East Bay through the lively streets of Fifth Jerusalem. After awhile I saw on the other side of the lake a large white building that was in the air. It was supported by large white leg like things that were on the ground. I continued walking towards the large building and eventually I got inside.

I couldn't help but stare in amazement at this large place. At the entrance to this place were two large mobile suits known as AGWS. There were people walking here and there, some stood in the hallway talking as well. A nearby guard saw me and walked over to me.

"Ah, we've been expecting you. This way," he said. He lead me through the main door. The next area looked like some sort of transport system. There were several car like things floating next to several gates. Each gate was labeled with a number from 1 to 3. The Guard lead me to transport 2 and we were taken to an area where the path split in two. The right side had a small door on the right wall and a larger door further down that hallway. The right side also had two guards stationed there. The guard that had escorted me talked to the other two and then they moved aside so I could get through. The next area was like a small theater. There were rows and platforms of seats. The seating was arranged so that we were all looking at a massive test field with a bunch of pillars sticking out of the ground. I sat down in one of the chairs and looked around. There were a lot of politicians here, and not a single face was there that I recognized. All except for two people on the lower platform. I got up and looked over the side of my platform down towards them.

"Shion, Allen, it's good to see you guys!" I said. Shion and Allen looked over at me.

"Wha- Alex? What are you doing here?" Asked Allen who seemed shocked to see me.

"Were you invited to this Demonstration as well?" Asked Shion.

"Yeah, I don't know who invited me. But someone did. Apparently I'm registered as a Federation VIP," I said. There was a beep, indicating that the show was about to start. "I'll talk to you guys after the show." I sat down in the chair and got ready for the show to start.

"We will now begin the start-up test in mock battle performance of the new model of anti-Gnosis humanoid fighting system. Now for this test, we will be using the mock battle form. Limiting output to 36 to normal," said the Announcer. Anti-Gnosis Humanoid Fighting system? Wasn't KOS-MOS one of those models? I didn't know that they had made another one, then again it would make sense. It would be better to have more than one model because of how many Gnosis are present in this Universe. Something started coming out of the middle pillar. As I saw the new model I smirked.

"_Wow, they really seem to like making female types. And that armor looks familiar... wait a minute... T-elos!" _I said in my thoughts. I had no idea that T-elos was an android, then again if I hadn't fought with KOS-MOS last year I wouldn't know that she was made entirely of metal. But T-elos was different somehow. Out of nowhere came the sound of some sort of creature. All of a sudden a bunch of silver creatures with wings started flying around. I could tell that they were Gnosis. They surrounded T-elos and aimed their gun arms at her. The next second the started firing a bunch of blasts at her. The pillar was heavily damaged but T-elos was perfectly fine. She brushed her hair out of her face as if nothing had happened. All the Gnosis charged in and started trying to rip T-elos apart. Suddenly they all went flying off of her and hit the wall. T-elos touched the purple glass thing on her head band and it started to glow. All the Gnosis implanted on the wall were covered in spheres of red and they all spontaneously and simultaneously exploded.

"Well Shit..." I whispered under my breath. T-elos was far more powerful than what she showed off at the Olympus Coliseum. Suddenly a large dragon gnosis came down from out of nowhere. T-elos jumped high in the air and pulled out that purple arm blade of hers. She slashed through it at 3 points at blinding speed and landed on the ground. "Double shit." T-elos returned to the elevator and went to the lower floors.

"Powerful isn't she?" Asked a voice behind me. I looked around to see a man in uniform which was a mix of colors like white and light blue. He had shaggy dirty blonde hair and blue eyes. I nodded.

"Uh yeah, those Gnosis don't stand a chance," I said.

"That was just a fraction of her power. The Gnosis are a think of the past," said the man with a cocky smirk. "By the way, I'm Roth Mantel. And you are?"

"Ah yes, I'm Alex. Nice to meet you." At this time I decided it would be best to ask about this. "Say, do you know who created T-elos?" This was the opportunity to get some answers, I can find out where T-elos came from I might find something out about that group of cloaked men. They seem to have some sort of connection with her.

"Yes, I was the one who created her." Now this surprised me, he wasn't dressed in a weird cloak. So how could he possibly be... but then again his voice sounded familiar. And this scent... I won't bring that up here. I'll just have to do some behind the scenes investigation.

"She is an amazing piece of work," I said. "You must be very proud of your accomplishments."

"Thanks, we are indeed proud of our work. T-elos shall bring about a new age of peace. A universe without the Gnosis," said Roth.

"A universe without the Gnosis, that would be a good thing," I said.

"After 15 years it's time they disappeared." Roth looked out at the Arena. "Well enjoy the rest of the show, even though it's not going to be as entertaining." Roth left and started talking to other people. This Roth Mantel guy is all but ordinary. I get the feeling that he is hiding something. And I also noticed that while we were talking he would take occasional glances down towards the lower area... towards Shion.

"Next, we'll begin a mock battle between anti-Gnosis humanoid weapon system and the new model human pilot weapon," said the Announcer. I looked at the person walking towards the middle of the arena and I instantly recognized them.

"KOS-MOS," I said. I was wondering if I would ever get the chance to see her. Especially after Shion had quit Vector it would be hard for me to drop in and say hello. Then a large elevator opened up and a massive green colored machine appeared. It had massive arms and inside of it's 'rib cage' was a silver cross like object. It's wings and it's head reminded me of some sort of bug. I heard whispers amongst the spectators.

"So that's Omega Res Novae," said one spectator. KOS-MOS started running towards Omega Res Novae. Omega started firing at KOS-MOS with a massive orange laser from it's 'mouth' KOS-MOS dodged to the side, summoned her Triple Barrel Machine gun and started firing at it. Omega tried to grab KOS-MOS but then she jumped onto one of the higher platforms. She dropped her Machine gun and pulled out another gun. She fired it in mid air and hit the section of Omega's back where the wing meets the back. Omega turned around and hit KOS-MOS with it's fist. KOS-MOS went flying through the pillar and hit another one behind it. I could hear a mix of responses to this from various spectators. Some were concerned about KOS-MOS, while others were throwing jibes about how the T-Weapon system was so much better than this. KOS-MOS pulled herself out of the wreckage and started running towards Omega. She jumped into the air, right above Omega and a bunch of lasers bursted out of her torso. But none of them had any effect on the massive craft. KOS-MOS landed on the ground far away from Omega. Omega let out a mighty roar and then it stopped moving.

"_What's going on?" _I asked in my thoughts. KOS-MOS jumped into the air and kicked Omega. It toppled down like an unstable tower, throwing up a cloud of dust. But then a few seconds later Omega went berserk. It started shooting laser blasts all over the place. Soon it began to look right at the observation room that we were all in. People started screaming and panicking. I held my hand out and summoned the Dark Horizon, I didn't like the direction this was taking. As one of the blasts shot towards KOS-MOS she created a barrier to try and block it but then the barrier shattered and KOS-MOS was thrown right into the window. She slid down the window and fell to the ground. Omega stopped firing and went limp. I had no idea what had just happened but it looked like a stalemate. And realizing that there was no threat anymore, I dismissed the Dark Horizon. I looked over to see that Roth had gone down from this level and was now talking to Shion and Allen on the lower level.

"Special Adviser, Roth Mantel. Please report to the T-elos' Maintenance Room," said a sudden announcement. Roth seemed oddly disappointed about having to leave. He left and headed off towards where ever T-elos' Maintenance Room was. I took one last look over at the arena and then I left the room. I saw Shion and Allen walk through the side door as I reached the end of the hallway.

"_I'd rather not get everyone involved in this. I'll do what I can to investigate this place, not sure I'll get to far with the security and..."_ I stopped talking in my thoughts as I looked over to see a little boy looking up at me. He had short black hair that extended down into a small pony tail at the back of his head and amber eyes. He wore a white shirt complemented by white pants... and now shoes of any kind. I kneeled down so I could be face to face with this unusual looking child. At first I would be surprised to see a little kid in a military facility like this, but his scent proved that he was all but an ordinary child. It was a very strange smell, not one I have ever encountered before. There was no light or darkness present in it at all. "Hello there, little guy." The boy didn't say anything. "What's your name?" Still no response. "Cat got your tongue?"

"Keyblade... Wielder..." Said the child in a raspy, strange voice. From the sound of it, this kid doesn't speak often. But what he said surprised me, how did he know about Keyblades... let alone that I am one. I don't recall seeing this little kid during the demonstration. With that, the little kid walked into the room that Shion and Allen had just entered. I shrugged and began looking around for somewhere to check out. I wanted to find out who made me a VIP, and above all... how they knew who I was. I got onto one of the car things to start looking around. As I arrived at the next station I was about to get off when the door of the car slammed in my face and began taking me somewhere.

* * *

MEANWHILE IN ONE OF THE OTHER ROOMS...

* * *

Dr. Sellers, along with his 'comrade' Dmitri Yuriev glanced at the images produced from a camera.

"Well this proves a few things," said Dr. Sellers.

"It seems I was right about him being a Keyblade Wielder," said Yuriev.

"I never thought I'd ever see one."

"And it seems like, he doesn't know about that man at all. They had just met today."

"So do you think he's a threat?" Asked Dr. Sellers.

"I don't know. But I do not think we will have to concern ourselves about him anymore. He is not involved in any project." Dr. Sellers nodded and looked back at the screen.

"But his wave length... if only we could use him as a test subject for that thing," said Dr. Sellers.

"What, you mean that unstable unit? That would be a waste of time," responded Yuriev.

* * *

SWITCHING BACK TO ALEX

* * *

"Not good..." I said as the car continued to move to where ever. I tried to look outside but all I saw were dim red lights of the tunnel I was in. After awhile the door opened before, but before getting out I stuck my head out to look outside. It looked a regular hallway in this place except it was a little darker here. I got out of the car cautiously and walked down the hallway towards the next one. There was a series of doors up ahead. I was about to walk down that hallway when the nearest door opened. I quickly scrambled to the back into the other hallway so I wouldn't be seen. Roth Mantel came storming out of the room. He didn't seem pleased about something. Before the door closed, he shot around and started talking to someone inside the room.

"Behave yourself! And remember what I told you... No!" The door shut. "Yeesh, she's hard to calm down when KOS-MOS is near." Roth walked into the room at the end of the hallway. Who was in there? I'd rather not find out. Suddenly I heard the car coming back and opening up.

"_Shit, someone is coming!" _I looked down towards the hallway and the doors and the sound of footsteps coming closer and closer. I looked at the door Roth walked out of. "Dammit..." I whispered under my breath as I quickly dashed into the room. I closed the door and put my ear near it. The sound of footsteps quickly passed by and entered the room on the far end of the hallway. I let out a sigh of relief. "At least they didn't come in here." I turned around to see what was in this room and then I nearly had a heart attack. T-elos was lying on a maintenance bed in this room, she seemed to be asleep. Once the beating of my heart had slowed down a bit, I took a deep breath and let out another sigh of relief. I looked over to the left to see the computer in this room. I walked towards it and attempted to access any form of info from this thing. After a bit of searching I found a document. "Alright!" A window popped up, saying:

Name: T-elos

Model: TP-XX

-FURTHER INFORMATION IS PASSWORD PROTECTED-

I sighed and slumped. I was hoping for something better than this. I don't think knowing what Model T-elos is will help in any way, shape, or form. Suddenly I heard the sound of the door locking. Oh crap, this was not good. Not good at all. Hopefully T-elos won't wake up... hopefully. I heard the sound of footsteps going away from the door. Suddenly I felt a strong grip around my arm and I was pulled through the... wall? No, I was pulled into a portal of Darkness. The darkness faded and I was now standing on top of a building. Currently the sun was setting, and yet the city was alive with people doing whatever they had to do before the day ended.

"Um..." I started as I looked back at the person who had rescued me to see a man in a strange looking Organization XIII outfit. It was a mix of black and white in strange designs. As I identified the scent I gasped.

"It can't be!" I exclaimed. But somehow, it was true. The person who had rescued me... was Xemnas. But how can that be? Didn't Sora and Riku defeat him? Xemnas lowered his hood.

"It's been awhile... Alex," said Xemnas with that smirk of his.

"But you died... Sora and Riku killed you! They said that they did!"

"And it looks like they were wrong. It will take a lot more than that to kill the Superior of Organization XIII. Now that I have recovered from my wounds I can start this process all over... that is if that man and his precious Testament servants weren't getting in the way." Said Xemnas in his usual over dramatic looks and poses.

"Testa...ments?" I asked.

"You've met them before, well only two out of four of them."

"So even you are scared of them?" Xemnas shook his head.

"I do not fear them, but they are far too powerful to ignore. I will take that power from them and use it to found the next Organization."

"Tell me, what do you know about these Testaments? What are they trying to accomplish?"

"I do not know much. But I do know this: they are extremely powerful. Just one of them could easily take out all of the former Organization if all 13 of us attacked him at once."

"Even Sora would have a hard time fighting against all 13 members," I said.

"So, do you understand the level of power those monsters have?" I nodded.

"Yes, but why should I worry about them? My goal is to find Zarathustra and destroy it."

"All the more reason, apparently they have an interest in that object too. And for that matter... so do I." Said Xemnas with a smirk.

"You're kidding right?" I asked. This was the last thing I needed. I thought I would be able to get the initiative and destroy Zarathustra without anyone noticing. But now there are other people who want Zarathustra for whatever their plans are. Xemnas is obvious, he just wants that power. But these Testaments... I have no idea what their goals are and that scares me.

"No, I'm not. So, let the race begin."

"What? You can't open a Portal of Darkness and..." Xemnas shook his head.

"Already tried, but I don't know where Zarathustra is. You can't teleport to a place you can't find. That's the limitation of corridors of darkness." I thought that it wouldn't be so easy to just open a portal of darkness and go there from the get-go. That's probably why I didn't try it myself. He sighed and smirked at me. "You are rather reckless, you know. You had almost completely fallen into that trap."

"What trap?" I asked.

"THEY were responsible for that car taking you to T-elos' Maintenance room. They wanted to capture you." So that wasn't a random error? Now it is almost clear that there is some unknown force at work here, well someone or something operating in the shadows.

"They? Who wanted to capture me?"

"Testament. The people in the strange outfits, I'm sure you have encountered a few of them before. You see, they seem to have taken an interest in you and your powers. I believe that whatever they are planning involves the power of the Keyblade. You just happen to waltz in this Universe one day and they detected you."

"Do they think I will just willingly lend them my services? They can guess again."

"I can assure you that they probably won't take no for an answer. You had better be careful." Xemnas began to walk away.

"And why would you care?"

"You are a potential candidate for my new Organization. You'll make a fine no. 2," said Xemnas.

"Keep dreaming!" Xemnas chuckled and disappeared into a portal of darkness. I sighed and looked out towards the clouds that shrouded the setting sun. This mission was getting harder and harder every time I found something out. But no matter what lies on my path I must continue my search one way or another. Suddenly my Connection Gear started beeping. I pulled it out to see that I had gotten a message. The screen popped up with Jr on it.

"Hey Alex, if you're not busy tomorrow do you think you could stop by on the Durandal? If you can't, that's alright. We hope to hear from you soon," said Jr. The screen deactivated and I put away my Connection Gear.

"I wonder what's up? Guess I'll find out tomorrow," I said.

* * *

So what new situation has come up? Find out in the next chapter. Sorry this one took so long, I've been rather busy lately. Anyway, please review. 


	5. Infiltration

Thanks goes to those who reviewed (you know who you are). Here's the next chapter in the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Ocean, Kingdom Hearts, or Xenosaga.

* * *

Chapter 5: Infiltration

King Mickey and the others arrived at Radiant Garden. As they got out of their ship they looked around and saw how much Radiant Garden had changed since they were last there. There were more buildings, more gardens, and the town was much livelier.

"Wow, this place looks almost complete now," said Donald.

"Well with Leon and the others in charge of restoring this world that doesn't surprise me. I think Ansem would be proud of their progress," said King Mickey. He looked over Goofy, then Donald, and finally Luther. "First we will find Leon and the others. It would be better to have their permission before using Ansem's Computer since it is technically in their possession."

"Let's get going then, the sooner we get this done the sooner we get to find out what we are dealing with," said Luther. They all decided to go the Merlin's house first. That was generally where Leon and the others were. As they neared Merlin's house, Donald looked around with a look of confusion on his face.

"Wait a minute, normally we encounter a few Heartless. But this time..."

"Yeah we haven't seen a thing," said Goofy. King Mickey folded his arms and looked like he was in deep thought.

"I'm sure Leon and the others have probably noticed the same thing by now. We should ask them about that too," he concluded. They walked over to the door and Goofy knocked on it. A few seconds later, Merlin opened the door.

"Donald, Goofy, and Your Majesty! What brings you to our little neck of the woods?" Asked Merlin.

"Merlin, we are here to ask if we can use Ansem's Computer," said King Mickey.

"Well I don't see why not, but why do you need that?" Luther took a step forward and held up the disc.

"We think that Ansem's Computer can break through the security on this thing," said Luther.

"What is that thing? Oh and you are?"

"I'm Luther, a friend of Alex's. This disc contains data that could potentially save this universe." Merlin looked concerned.

"The universe? Hmm then that may explain..."

"What is it?" Asked King Mickey.

"Before you head up to the castle, there is something you should see," said Merlin. "Come on in." The group followed Merlin into his house. There they saw Leon, Yuffie, Cid, and Aerith crowding around a telescope.

"You see that too?" Asked Cid as Yuffie looked into the telescope.

"Yeah I see it, it doesn't look too good," replied Yuffie.

"What'cha lookin' at?" Asked Donald as they walked towards the telescope. Everyone looked over at the just arrived group.

"Donald, Goofy, Your Majesty? What are all of you doing here?" Asked Leon.

"We have came because we need to use Ansem's computer," said Luther.

"Go right ahead, but why?" Asked Cid.

"Well..." Started King Mickey. He then explained the situation to Leon and the others. Concern and worry was nothing short of blatant on their faces.

"Alex had come by a little while ago asking about that Zarathustra thing, but he didn't say why he was looking into it," said Leon.

"He seemed pretty worried about it. I've got a very bad feeling about all of this," said Aerith with a tone of worry.

"And it seems like there is more to this then we know," said King Mickey.

"What do you mean?" Asked Merlin.

"Last night, Alex just suddenly left without a word. He headed to the landmass near this world," said Goofy.

"You mean that object that appeared a little while ago? Why would he go there?" Asked Leon.

"There is some sort of portal there, a portal that leads to another Universe. Alex somehow must have figured out that Zarathustra was beyond the portal somewhere," said King Mickey.

"But how did he find out?" Asked Cid.

"The only one who knows that is Alex. But right now, we have to take care of this," said Luther as he held up the disc.

"What is that?"

"It's a disc holding data taken from Aldax's computer. That's all we know about it."

"Aldax... what would Ansem think if he knew that his 'loyal' apprentice was really just as two faced and deceptive as Xehanort was," commented King Mickey.

"So what're you looking at?" Asked Donald as he walked closer to the telescope. He grabbed a chair and jumped onto it so he could reach the eye piece. Donald looked in and then within an instant he jumped back while screaming a bunch of gibberish. "What on earth was THAT?" He exclaimed. Goofy looked into the telescope.

"Gawrsh, now that's somethin' you don't see everyday," said Goofy. He stepped back to let King Mickey take a look.

"Hmm..." He then looked over at Luther. "Luther, what do you make of this?" Luther took a step towards the telescope and looked into it.

"What the?" Asked Luther. The image the telescope showed was off a bunch of Heartless all gathering in a region of space. And it looked like they were creating something. "This must be that 'nebula' we saw on the way here. So much for it being a nebula." King Mickey looked at Merlin.

"They have never behaved like that before, so why now?"

"If the Universe is truly in danger, then the Heartless must be sensing that doom. Perhaps whatever is going on in the other Universe is attracting the Heartless. So they must be trying to put together a full out assault against whatever lies beyond the portal. But that's not all. At first I thought that the Heartless were trying to go to The World That Never Was to claim whatever remains of Xemnas' Kingdom Hearts. But that was when I noticed something strange as I looked upon that cursed world. There were vast fleets of Nobody ships evacuating from that place."

"But why? Isn't that their home?" Asked Donald.

"They might be running away from something. But the question is: what could possibly scare away the Nobodies from their turf?"

"Perhaps we should check it out later," said Luther.

"First we should find out what is on that disc," said King Mickey.

"I'll go with you up to the Postern," said Leon. With that, the group headed up towards the castle. They arrived at Ansem's Computer Room not too long afterwards. Luther inserted the disc and tried to access it. A window popped up with a message saying: Password Required.

"Well, we were able to get past the first layer of security but to get further we need to either find out what the password is or hack it. Both aren't easy," said Luther as he looked back over at everyone else.

"Can you access any of the data with our current progress?" Asked King Mickey. Luther nodded.

"Yeah, there is only one file unlocked so far. Judging by the looks of it, it's an audio file. But I guess it's better than nothing." Luther accessed the file and it started playing.

"_My plan has worked. Organization XIII believes that they have killed me. Now the two children are safe... for now anyway. The wheels have been set in motion and they cannot be stopped. It is too late to turn back now. There will be those who hate me for what I have done. But what those fools think does not matter. What matters is that everything goes according to plan. And anything or anyone that gets in the way will be destroyed. I have made it this far now, and I can't fail. 'Let the fools play on the stage, it won't matter in the end.' That is what he said during our last meeting. And knowing him... he's right," _said Aldax's voice. The file turned off and there was silence. Luther clenched his fist and snarled.

"Aldax, that bastard! This message makes it clear what side he was really on," stated Luther through clenched teeth.

"Ansem would be distraught if he had heard this message," said King Mickey as he looked down at the ground.

"And what about Alex? How will he take this?" Said Donald.

"He knows all too well, I'm sure of that," said King Mickey.

"So what now?" Asked Goofy.

"We continue trying to access the data here. There is tons of it. But to get past the next layer... we are going to need some help. I am going to need the help of another person knowledgeable with computers and how programs work. Alex isn't here, Ansem has moved on, and the people over at Sphere are too busy to worry about this problem. Which leaves us no..."

"Tron!" Exclaimed Donald. Luther looked over.

"Who?" He asked.

"Tron, lives inside this computer," explained Leon.

"If I hadn't been the creator of the Eternal Sphere, I'd find that hard to believe," commented Luther. "So how do we get inside the computer? I don't see any terminals or transports anywhere in this room." Leon walked towards the computer.

"Go stand in that white lined box on the floor. I'll transport you guys," said Leon as he activated the sequence.

"We get to see Tron again!" Exclaimed Donald happily. The device on the back of the wall started glowing and it shot a beam of light at Luther, Donald, Goofy, and King Mickey. They broke down into blocks and disappeared. When Luther opened his eyes, he found himself in a strange Neon colored environment. Luther looked down at himself to see he was in a glowing blue version of his Owner outfit.

"How nostalgic," he said as he felt a familiar feeling coursing through his veins. King Mickey looked around.

"So where is Tron?" He asked.

"He's here somewhere," said Donald. Suddenly a small pillar of light appeared and as it faded, there stood Tron. He looked over at Donald and Goofy and smiled.

"Donald! Goofy! It's good to see you two again. Where's Sora?" Asked Tron.

"He's back home, we finished our quest a year ago," Explained Goofy.

"Hm, yes Alex did mention that when he was last here," said Tron.

"Alex was here? When?" Asked King Mickey.

"Just recently, if you see him; tell him thanks for the system upgrade. It's truly improved the system way beyond what it started out as." Tron looked over at King Mickey and Luther. "Are these guys friends of yours?" He asked as he looked over at Donald and Goofy.

"Yeah, I'm Mickey. King of Disney Castle," said King Mickey.

"And I'm Luther, an old friend of Alex's." Said Luther.

"So what brings you here?" Asked Tron.

"Urgent business. Not just the town, but the entire user universe is in danger of complete and total destruction." Tron looked very shocked at this news.

"What? What is going on out there?" The group proceeded to explain what has happened so far to Tron. "I see, and this disc might have data needed to find out what we are dealing with. But most important of all: a way to counter it."

"Precisely. Alex is doing everything he can to prevent the situation from getting any worse, so we are going to try and help on the home front."

"So, is there anything I can do to help?" Asked Tron.

"Yes, we need your help decoding some security on that disc. It's got several layers of top class security protection. And Luther says the 2nd layer will require an extra hand to get through it," explained King Mickey.

"Alright, I'll help out with it. Now that this system has 10 times the processing power it used to have, this will be a cinch. I can perform far more complex functions now."

"Sphere technology at it's finest. I'm surprised that Alex is able to keep up with knowledge of our ever updating technology when he is no longer with the company," said Luther.

"Alright, with the disc inserted. We can access it directly from the I/O tower. But who knows what's going to be within those chambers. So be careful," said Tron. The group began to walk towards the I/O tower.

Meanwhile on Destiny Islands...

Sora , Riku, and Kairi were on the porch on top of Riku's House. Sora and Kairi watched as Riku set up a large device.

"So your Dad completed this a few days ago?" Asked Kairi. Riku nodded as he set it up.

"Yup, it took him awhile. I helped him with it too," said Riku.

"Riku, what is this thing?" Asked Sora as he looked up at the object that seemed to be pointing towards the sky.

"It's a telescope. It allows you to see places that are REALLY far away. Like the many worlds out there," explained Riku as he activated the device. "And the unique thing about this device is that it allows you to take pictures of what you see when using this telescope. And you don't have to look through and eye piece to see anything. It's all displayed on this screen."

"Not sure I get how that works, or what you are talking about, but sounds pretty cool," said Sora.

"Yeah, observe." Riku started pressing buttons and the telescope started moving around. After shifting it around a little bit, Riku looked over at his two friends. "Take a look." Sora and Kairi looked at the screen.

"Hey that's..." Started Sora.

"Twilight Town!" Finished Kairi. The two of them looked at Riku in amazement.

"This device is awesome," said Sora.

"Yeah, if there is anywhere you guys would like to take a look at I'll be glad to..."

"Say Riku, what is that dark looking place not to far away from Twilight Town?" Asked Kairi. Riku looked at the screen and then back over at Kairi.

"That is the World that Never Was. It's where Organization XIII's stronghold stood. You could say that world is the closest to the realm of darkness." Sora took a closer look at the screen.

"Hey, what are all of those small white things? Can you zoom in?" Riku nodded.

"Yeah, hold on a second." Riku pressed a little nob switch forward and the screen zoomed in. The three of them could now see the white objects a lot better... and the familiar symbol that they were bearing.

"Nobodies..." Said Kairi. "But there is something strange. Doesn't it look like they are trying to go somewhere?"

"Yeah, and fast," added Riku.

"But why?" Asked Sora.

"I don't know, but I've got a bad feeling about this."

* * *

SWITCHING TO ALEX'S POV

* * *

As the noon sun rose high into the sky, I headed to the space port to get to the Durandal. I went up the large elevator and soon I was entering the Durandal's dock. At the elevator in the bridge section of the ship, Jr and the others were standing around. I walked over towards them and they noticed me.

"Glad you could make it Alex," said Jr.

"We'll it's not like I've got anything better to do," I lied. Truth is, I have no lead that will help me find Zarathustra. I have nothing to go by. So for now, I'll help these guys with whatever and then I'll find Zarathustra. Before Xemnas, and before the Testaments. "So is any one else coming?" I asked.

"Yeah, Shion is..." Started chaos.

"Hey everyone," said a familiar voice. I looked over to see Shion standing a few feet away from me.

"Hey, Shion! You're looking well!" Said Jr.

"Looks like you're all doing good, too," she said. She looked over at me. "I wondering if I'd see you again, Alex. Especially after you popped up at the Demonstration," she said.

"Yeah well I was in the area, so I thought I'd drop by," I said.

"Shion," said Jin as he walked over to the group. Shion looked over at her brother.

"Jin?! That's right. I completely forgot you were with them," said Shion with a tone of slight surprise.

"Is that any way to greet the brother you haven't seen in a while? Everyone else is here. You know, you really should be a little more punctual..." Replied Jin with a puzzled look on his face.

"Yes, yes. Everyone's here now, right? Let's get started." Jr started laughing.

"You haven't changed a bit, Shion. Juli and the others are waiting. This way!" Jr lead us all up to the bridge. Amongst familiar faces like Mary, Shelly, and Allen were a few people who I didn't recognize. There was a young woman about Shion's age here. She wore a vector outfit, had short brown hair, and hazel eyes. The other person was an older woman in a brownish outfit, had shorter brown hair, and amber colored eyes.

"So you are all here," the older woman said. MOMO walked towards the older woman.

"Mommy, this guy over here is the one I told you about," she said. The woman looked at me.

"Ah, so you must be Alex. I am Juli Mizrahi."

"Nice to meet you," I said. Juli nodded and looked over at Shion.

"Shion, have you heard about KOS-MOS?"

"KOS-MOS? No. What's going on?" Questioned Shion.

"Committee Member Mizrahi, I'll tell her," said Allen. He looked over at Shion. "Chief, they've decided to scrap KOS-MOS." Shion looked shocked and sad.

"Scrap? You can't be serious." She exclaimed.

"I'm afraid it's true. They made the decision yesterday," said Juli. I folded my arms and thought about what I had just heard.

"KOS-MOS... scrapped..." There was a long pause and then... "WHAAAAAAAAAAAAT? But why are they going to do that? Isn't KOS-MOS a top class weapon?" I asked.

"They decided that KOS-MOS isn't worth putting time into anymore. Now they want to put it all into T-elos development," explained Allen.

"Replacing KOS-MOS with T-elos. I don't mind KOS-MOS, but T-elos... just looking at her... she's got that foreboding feeling about her."

"I heard she was designed to be very intimidating," added Allen.

"_They did a damn good job with it then." _I said in my thoughts. Shion shook her head sadly.

"KOS-MOS..." She said.

"I understand how you feel, but there's no time to get depressed. I want you to listen carefully to what I'm about to say, and then make a decision," said Juli.

"Hm?" Asked Shion.

"First, take a look at this." A screen popped up with a blue energy sphere.

"What is this?"

"It's a hypersphere that appeared during a battle with Ormus. The Elsa was swallowed by it," said Jr.

"Right. And now, this hypersphere is beginning to shrink. It'll likely continue to shrink to Planck-scale size and then disappear from this dimension," said Juli.

"_Well shit, that's not good," _I said in my thoughts.

"What will happen to the Elsa?!" Asked Shion.

"At this rate…it will be taken into phase space along with the hypersphere. If that happens, it'll be impossible for us to rescue them. If we don't break through this hypersphere, we can't rescue the Elsa," said Juli.

"But weapons on the Durandal or E.S.s don't even make a dent," commented Jr.

"The surface of that hypersphere is connected to imaginary space. Ordinary attacks are useless against it. Its only weak spot is a part called the Klein Point. If we can pierce that point with a high-output weapon and reverse the space, then perhaps," Continued Juli. Reverse the space? Is that even possible? This stuff is way over my head for sure.

"You've gotta be kidding me! How the hell can we do that?!" Protested Jr rather loudly.

"Oh! KOS-MOS! KOS-MOS's phase transfer unit!" Exclaimed Shion. Ah, so now we need KOS-MOS's help. But that still leaves one problem.

"Exactly. KOS-MOS's Tertiary Weapons System may be able to break through that hypersphere," said Juli.

"But KOS-MOS has been slated for scrap. How are we supposed to do this? Besides, there's no way we'll get permission to use the Tertiary Weapons System," added Allen.

"Yes, that's why I've gathered you all here. KOS-MOS is currently awaiting disposal inside the Zohar Project facility," said Juli. That's when it hit me.

"Ah, I see. That solves the only problem in this plan. Though that is probably breaking a few rules here and there," I said.

"You're planning to steal KOS-MOS?" Asked Ziggy.

"There's no other way to rescue the Elsa. I'll guide you during the infiltration, but it'll still be dangerous. It'll be up to you to decide," said Juli. Shion thought about this for a moment.

"All right. I'll do it. I can't just abandon the Elsa's crew, or KOS-MOS," said Shion. Juli looked over at me.

"And what about you? I hate to get other people involved in this, but it might be good to have an extra hand around," said Juli.

"Count me in. Sure, KOS-MOS pounded me into the ground when I met her. But none of that matters."

"It's going to be dangerous, are you sure?"

"Don't worry about it, I'll be fine."

"Yeah, I guess if we do them a big favor now, we'll be able to make use of it later," said Jr. I smirked, now that was a good attitude to have.

"Then it's settled. We don't know how long the hypersphere's shrinking will last. We need to being immediately. We move tonight," said Juli. I looked over to see Shion starting to not look well.

"Right. Let's get ready and..." Started Shion. She held her hand to her head.

"Chief? Are you all right?" Asked Allen.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine..." Said Shion as she started looking worse.

"You sure don't look fine," I said.

"No... really... I'm..."

"Shion?" Asked Jin with a tone of concern. Shion let out a groan and passed out. As she did, I felt that disorientation and the sharp pain again. Just like when she passed out at the café. Everyone either gasped or ran towards her. I did the latter.

"Chief?" Exclaimed Allen.

"Shion!" Jin bent down to see what was wrong with his sister. I knelt down as well.

"Is she going to be alright?" I asked with a tone of worry.

"I don't know... I'll take her to the sickbay," said Jin as he scooped up Shion's unconscious body and began to leave the bridge. chaos and I exchanged glances at each other as we remembered the events of the night before yesterday where the same thing had happened to Shion.

A little while later, I was talking with Ziggy, MOMO, Jr, and Jin. I kept thinking about how Shion suddenly collapsed. I was worried about what was wrong with her. It's unusual for someone to keep on passing out like this.

"I'm going to go see how she's doing," said Jin. Jin left the bridge and a short while later, Allen returned.

"So, do they know what's wrong with Shion?" Asked MOMO.

"The medical staff said that they don't know. They figured it was probably from exhaustion," he answered. I didn't say anything.

"I'm going to take a walk," I said. "It'll help get me focused." I left the bridge, and as I did I saw Jin walk by. I sat around for a bit on the orbital station. I had gotten a drink from the nearby machine and I was about ready to go back into the when I encountered Shion. "Shion. You're up. How are you feeling?"

"I feel great now," she said.

"I'm glad to hear that." I paused for a second. "You know, it's one thing to push yourself. It's another thing to work yourself to death. You must be very busy."

"Hm you can say that," said Shion. "Say Alex."

"Yeah?" I asked as I tossed the bottle I had been drinking from into the nearby disposal device.

"What are you doing here? In your last message, you said that you were exploring your galaxy and keeping it safe." Now this question had caught me off guard. I wasn't expecting to be asked this so soon, so I didn't really have a story to present. After doing a split second of quick thinking, I decided what to say.

"Well, you see I was about to explore a planet I had found when all of a sudden I ended up in a portal of some sort. I arrived and I encountered the Durandal. They offered me a ride over to this planet... and here I am." Of course I was going to leave out the part about Ormus. I don't know how Shion and the others would take that... especially after that psychopath Patriarch tried to take control of everything using the power of the Zohar and Proto Omega.

"By mere accident, huh?" Commented Shion. She looked out the window and into the space nearby. "It's funny how things like that just randomly happen, don't you think?" I smirked and nodded.

"Yeah, or it could be the fact that I tend to be a klutz." Shion started chuckling. I looked over to see Juli walking towards us.

"Are you feeling all right?" She asked Shion.

"Yes, I just needed some rest. I feel great now," answered Shion.

" I envy you."

"Hm?" Asked Shion with a look of puzzlement on her face.

"I think anyone would. You've been true to your beliefs after you resigned from Vector after the Gnosis terrorism."

"I don't know. I mean, I'm not even really sure, myself," said Shion.

"I don't know what happened regarding the Gnosis terrorism. But I bet your actions were what your heart commanded you to do," I commented.

"That's another way of saying it," said Juli.

"Hmm... I guess you're right Alex," added Shion. Juli looked downwards as if in thought.

"And here I am, still doing the same thing I always have done. Not asking or thinking whether what I am doing is right or wrong," she said slowly as if her thoughts were leading her some place else.

"Are you regretting your participation in the development of Omega?"

"Maybe. It's a weapon with absolute power and no clear objective. And yet,

I'm participating in its development so I can prove myself to society. To clear

the shame from the name, 'Mizrahi.'" Said Juli as her distant look remained. I remember the name Mizrahi... that was the name of the man who had apparently been responsible for the event known as: 'The Miltian Conflict'. But while evidence was found that it wasn't Mizrahi responsible for what happened, the mass still believed it was his fault.

"Do you think KOS-MOS's very existence is dangerous, too?" Now I wasn't expecting Shion to say something like that. Why though?

"Shion, KOS-MOS isn't a weapon. It's probably strange for a scientist to say this, but I have a feeling that KOS-MOS possesses something very important."

"Something important..." Started Shion.

"Unlike the human-based Realians, KOS-MOS is composed entirely of machines. How much real difference do you think there is between the bundles of protein that makes us, and the machines that compose her? We're both a wave that make up this universe. The only difference is the number of ripples. I think if we have hearts and minds, then it's evident that she would have them as well."

"Do you think KOS-MOS possesses a heart?"

"Isn't that what you wish?"

"Maybe, but maybe not."

"Hm, it wouldn't surprise me if she does have a heart. From the moment I met her, I could tell there was something different about her. Like there was something deep within her," I said.

"Shion, I don't know what your thoughts and intentions were when you built her,

but no matter what happens, I want you to believe in KOS-MOS. And more than

anything else, you must believe the person who built her, yourself. That's your

duty as her creator," said Juli. With that Juli walked off.

"Juli..." Said Shion. I looked towards the entrance of the Durandal to see chaos and Jr walking over to us.

"Did Juli head back to the facility?" Asked Jr.

"Yes, she said she's going to get things ready for our infiltration," replied Shion.

"Okay. We should get started, too. There's not much time. Stock up on anything you'll need." Jr paused and looked over at me. "So we'll finally get to see what you're capable of tonight."

"If I hadn't heard all your stories from your travels, I'd say I'd be worried. But it sounds like you can take care of yourself just fine on the battlefield," said Shion.

"Well I'm pretty strong, but Sora is a lot stronger than me."

"Let's meet in the lobby of Shion's hotel. We won't look suspicious meeting in town, and it's close to the facility," said chaos.

"Is that okay with you, Shion?" Asked Jr.

"Sure, that's fine," added Shion.

"Okay. Let's get moving!" Jr and chaos left and headed to the Durandal, probably to get some stuff they might need.

"I'm going to head down there right now," said Shion.

"Alright, I'll be going there as well shortly," I said. Shion left and walked over to the

elevator that lead to the city. Suddenly the Dark Horizon appeared in my hand.

"That facility is probably very important to the federation. You have to be nuts to even think that we stand a chance in getting through," said the Dark Horizon.

"You're really pessimistic. You know that right?" I said.

"I believe the term is: realistic," countered the Dark Horizon. I shrugged.

"Yeah, whatever." The Dark Horizon disappeared from my hand and I began to walk towards the elevator as well. From the space port I headed to Möbius hotel. I looked around to see that not everyone was here yet. Shion and Allen were busy talking about something so I decided I would take this time to write up an update for the King. I sat down at a nearby table with some paper and a pen and I started writing.

* * *

_Your Majesty,_

_Unfortunately, I have had no luck finding Zarathustra so far. Nor have I heard any noteworthy info. In these first few days, I encountered my friends from this Universe. At first I was hoping that we wouldn't meet so that they wouldn't get involved in this. But when I realized that I had no leads, I knew I had to turn somewhere. So now, I am helping Shion and the others rescue the Elsa, which fell into a hyper sphere. But in order to break that hyper sphere, we need a weapon capable of generating enough power to break a hole in the sphere's weak point. Our only choice is the android known as KOS-MOS. But unfortunately she is scheduled for disposal. Therefore, we are going to infiltrate that facility and steal her. Who knows? Maybe during this little rescue mission I might learn something. It is the only chance our Universe has... and this one as well. _

_-Alex

* * *

_

After writing my letter I pulled out the small transport terminal I had made and placed the letter inside. I pressed the button and it was sent to King Mickey directly. I placed my feet on the desk and got myself comfortable. It's still a few hours or so before nightfall. Those few hours quickly passed and soon I found myself standing around with the group.

"Everyone ready?" Asked Jr as he walked over towards all of us.

"Listen, we're going up against an important facility of the Galaxy Federation military. They'll attack intruders without stopping to ask questions, so stay on your toes," explained Allen. There was dead silence for a moment.

"Sounds like another ordinary day in my life," I said. Heartless and Nobodies were like that, kill first; don't' worry about the questions.

"You're the one we're most worried about, Allen," said Jr.

"Hey! I know that facility better than anyone else here." Protested Allen.

"I know. I'm counting on you," said Shion.

"Chief..." Said Allen as he looked over at Shion. I swear, for a brief moment I could see Allen blushing very slightly. I sensed some movement in the corner of my eye and I looked over in that direction to see Jin walking towards us.

"Sorry to interrupt your tender moment, but we don't have much time. Let's get going," said Jin. We left the hotel and got onboard the transport we had planned to use. From there we went to the rendezvous point, a small maintenance road that connected the main road and the CAT Testing Grounds.

"Shion! Over here! Come on, hurry!" Shouted the girl in the vector outfit (who I later found out was called Miyuki). We all flinched at hearing her loud voice.

"Say that a little louder next time, I don't think KOS-MOS heard you," I said sarcastically.

"Hey, hey, not so loud, Miyuki. Do you want them to find us? So, is everything ready?" Asked Allen.

"Yep, all set! I tweaked the security, so you've got a free pass inside," said Miyuki.

"I hope you didn't make any mistakes this time," commented Shion.

"This... time?" I asked.

"It's... a long story," answered Shion.

"Oh, come on, you can trust me! You're the one who told me not to do anything dangerous and then asked me to help you," said Miyuki.

"There isn't anyone else I could ask," responded Shion.

"What about Doctus? You could have asked Scientia!" Great, just when I thought I knew all the terms and names... more show up!

"They're busy with something else. Besides, this is our own problem. I can't ask them to help with this." Miyuki put her hands on her hips and smirked.

"Ah-hah, I knew it! You're only using me because there's no one else!" Exclaimed Miyuki. Allen started laughing. "Hey! Stop laughing!"

"So, how do we get in?" Asked Jr.

"The main gate is sealed, isn't it?" Added chaos.

"Don't worry. We can get in by using the mono-carrier below. We'll also use the transporter within this facility. As for the route, first we'll head from deck number two to the exercise area. Past that is a transporter on deck number five. That'll take us to the research wing where KOS-MOS is," explained Allen.

"Wow, you really DO know your way around in there," I commented.

"Right! Just leave the rest to me! I've got something up my sleeve just in case we get caught. And I'll even help fight against any guards we may happen to run into," said Miyuki.

"Your job is to make sure we don't get caught. Please don't screw this up, Miyuki," commanded Shion. Jr and chaos started laughing.

"Hey! I said stop laughing!" Whined Miyuki. After that we all got onboard the mono carrier and it took us to the little dock area below the facility. I looked down to see that the majority of this little area was just a few platforms supported by poles attached to the 'roof'. The floor was merely a metal mesh, allowing us to see the water far below. I sighed and looked up, wishing that I had never looked down. We continued walking and sneaking by guards. Finally we reached a door that lead into the facility. We went inside and looked around. We had entered the large transport room with all the cars. This place seemed a lot more foreboding when it was all dark with nobody around.

"Well looks like we are in the facility. So far so good," I said.

"Unfortunately we aren't at our destination yet. It's too early to be celebrating," commented Jin.

"I know, I'm just amazed at how easy this was."

"There are probably more guards up ahead," warned Ziggy. I sighed and looked down the hallway towards the only active car. Suddenly there was an announcement.

"If you have seen the pilot of Omega Res Novae, please contact security immediately," said the announcer. I jumped at the sudden announcement. If this place was closed up for the evening, why would there be announcements?

"So there is someone else wandering around here as well?" I asked.

"I guess so, whoever that person is," replied Jr. As we came around the corner we saw a strange machine floating around in the air that looked like a shield.

"What is that?" I asked.

"That is a guard machine, the latest model it seems," replied Allen. I summoned the Dark Horizon in my hand.

"I'll take care of it." Ziggy put a hand in front of me to block my path.

"No, I will handle this. From what I have heard about these things, they must be destroyed in one clean strike. Otherwise they will set off an alarm," explained Ziggy. I stepped back and dismissed my weapon.

"Alright, you can take care of it then." Ziggy quickly rushed down the hallway and slammed his fist right through the Guard Machine. It fell to the ground and sparks started crackling around the area of it's torso that had now become a gaping hole. Ziggy walked back towards us.

"All taken care of." We were about to continue onwards when I detected a scent.

"Hold on, someone's coming," I said.

"Well yeah you can hear their footsteps," whispered Miyuki. I was about to say that I had detected their scent first but I didn't want to go into details. Now was not the time for it. I peeked around the corner and saw a soldier slowly walking down the hallway towards our direction.

"Now THIS one I'll deal with." I pressed my back against the side of the wall and waited for the soldier to get closer. As his footsteps grew louder I got ready to carry out the ambush. Just as the lone soldier walked pass me, I quickly slid behind him and hit him in the back of the head, knocking him out. I prefer to not resort to killing right away, but sometimes that's not a choice I can make. This situation, fortunately, was one that I could. We continued onwards to our destination. We had to fight a few guards along the way here and there as we continued along. Our path lead us through the observation room, and then from there we took a car that would lead to a small area that I hadn't been to before. This new area started out as a small corridor that lead into a bigger room with various monitors. As I looked around I saw a massive window with a strange orange like creature... and a massive one at that. I stopped and looked at the creature. "Hey, look at this."

"A Gnosis? What is it doing here?" Asked MOMO. I looked back over at the creature, so this thing is another type of Gnosis. They seem to come in all shapes and sizes.

"Well fortunately it doesn't seem to be conscious. And those restraints will keep it down. We won't have to worry about this critter at all," I said. Now, I believe there was a phrase that said something on the lines of not tempting fate. For you see, I seemed to have triggered that... or fate is just a cruel, sadistic bastard. The large Gnosis burst out of it's restraints and jumped towards the window. It smashed it's head into the window several times, causing various cracks and then it jumped high up into the air somewhere. The sudden burst of movement nearly gave me a heart attack, and everyone else too for that matter.

"Way to tempt fate, Alex. That was nicely done," said Jr with a tone of sarcasm.

"Errr... crap," I responded.

"Let's get moving before that thing finds us," added Jin. We continued onwards and eventually found an alternative route that lead to the elevator.

"Ah, here we are," said Miyuki.

"That wasn't so hard," commented Jr.

"You sure this is going to work?" Asked Shion.

"Of course I'm sure," replied Miyuki. We got onto the elevator and it began to take us down. After awhile we stopped at a floor that looked like our destination... but then the elevator kept going down. I looked at the group and laughed nervously.

"That wasn't me this time," I said.

"What's going on, Miyuki? The elevator went past our floor," said Shion.

"What? Uh, hmm… I wonder why." Miyuki not knowing what was going on was not very assuring. First the Gnosis and know this. Things aren't going as smoothly as we would have hoped.

"You screwed up again, didn't you?" Chastised Shion.

"No, I couldn't have. I checked it! Really, I did!" Protested Miyuki.

"This isn't her fault," said Jin. "We are being lead somewhere by someone or something."

"I agree with Jin, this is too strange to be an accident," said chaos.

"What do you mean?" Asked Shion.

"Where does this elevator go?" Asked Ziggy.

"Oh, it's, uh… If we keep going down this way, we should end up at a large underground hangar," explained Allen.

"So, something's down there, then, huh," said Jr. It turns out Jr was right about that. As we arrived in this underground hangar, we saw something we weren't expecting to see. Omega Res Novae.

"That's... Omega!" Exclaimed Jin.

"That thing's enormous! What the hell is my idiot father planning to do with that thing?" Exclaimed Jr. We descended all the way down the lowest floor and we got off the elevator. Most of us continued to look up at the intimidating sight of Omega Res Novae. Suddenly Shion grasped her head. At that time, a sudden vision snapped through my mind. It was of that barren wasteland place with little patches of grass. The place where I had found the Dark Horizon. The image disappeared almost as quickly as it had come. "Shion!" Exclaimed Jr. Shion was about to collapse when Ziggy caught her with his arm.

"Chief?" Asked Allen with a tone of worry.

"I-I'm fine. I just felt—a little dizzy, that's all," replied Shion as she seemed to be recovering.

"Maybe you haven't completely recovered yet," suggested Allen. Now what was going on here? Whenever Shion suddenly has one of those dizzy spells/attacks, somehow I react to it. What is going on here?

"I'm fine. It's nothing, really," persisted Shion.

"Chief…" Muttered Allen with both the tone and look of worry.

"It's okay. I'm just a little light-headed." Shion looked up and saw something. "Oh." I looked up and saw someone standing near a door. It was that weird kid I saw running around in this facility the other day. "That boy... that's Abel!"

"So that's Abel, huh? The kid never told me his name when I met him," I said. Shion looked over at me.

"You've met him before?" I nodded.

"Yeah, when I was here for the demonstration." Shion looked back over at the little boy known as Abel.

"Your Abel, right?"

"Sad being... this way," said Abel in his raspy voice. He walked through the door and into the next room.

"Hey, wait!" Said Shion. That didn't do any good, he had already gone into the next room.

"Who's that kid? You know him?" Asked Jr.

"No, but Juli said he's an invaluable member of the Zohar Project." I looked over at Shion with a look of surprise.

"Really? I never knew they would accept someone so young into such a grand-scale project," I commented.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you earlier, but he's the pilot of Omega. He lives in this facility. You see him around CR a lot," explained Allen.

"So that's what the announcement was about."

"That boy is Omega's pilot? But why is he here by himself?" Asked Shion.

"Maybe it's a trap?" Suggested Jr.

"Who would do that? And more importantly, why? And who does he mean by

"sad being"?" Asked Shion.

"Maybe he's trying to lead us to KOS-MOS," suggested Allen.

"That sounds like a better possibility," said Jin.

"So, you wanna follow him?" Asked Jr.

"Yeah, there's no point in staying here," answered Shion. We moved on into the next room. We were standing on a small platform that was connected to another platform by a simple bridge made of metal mesh. Below was a large chasm that was so dark you couldn't see the bottom.

"I'd say not to look down, but that's the first thing everyone would do. So... don't look up," I said.

"Are you saying you're afraid of heights?" Teased Shion.

"N-no, that's not what I'm saying. It's just that... this bridge doesn't look very stable," I replied as I looked at the bridge again.

"It's no problem," said Jr from the other side of the bridge. Jr and MOMO had already crossed the bridge without any problems. Next up was chaos, Jin, and Miyuki. Allen, Shion, and Ziggy went across next.

"You see, nothing happened. The bridge is more stable than you thought it was," said Shion. "There is nothing to worry about." I let out a sigh of relief and I began to walk across the bridge. Suddenly I heard a loud snap as the supports on the side I had just walked across broke. Followed by the sound of the other side breaking. I could feel the bridge beginning to slide off it's supports. There was only one thing someone can say in a situation like this.

"Shit." As I started running to the other side I could feel the bridge beginning to descend into the darkness of the chasm. I jumped towards the other side and just barely grabbed the edge of the platform. After letting out a sigh of relief, I pulled myself up onto the platform. "Why does that always happen to me?" I asked as I brushed myself off.

"It's just your luck I guess," said Shion. We continued onwards, following this Abel kid... only to see that there was no trace of him after awhile. Eventually we entered a large room that was filled with a bunch of scrap. It looked like rocks at first, but I could see bits and pieces of metal and machines. As we walked towards the center Allen tripped and fell onto his back. "What are you doing, Allen? Are you all right?" Asked Shion as she helped him back up. Allen rubbed the back of his head.

"Ow, that hurt! Hey, what is with the ground here? Oh!" Allen started pointing ahead of him. "Chief! L-look!" We all looked in the direction he was pointing in to see a familiar face. We had found KOS-MOS.

"KOS-MOS!" Said Shion. She ran over to KOS-MOS and kneeled down next to her. "KOS-MOS! How could they do this to you?"

"Man, I can't believe they'd trash a top security unit in a place like this," said Jr. Shion let out a depressed sigh. "Ah, eh, uh, sorry."

"Chief, it's okay. It seems like there aren't any damages. We can reboot her right away," said Allen. Allen started entering the activation code for KOS-MOS. "Chief, I'm gonna start her up."

"Please do," said Shion. She seemed eager to see KOS-MOS wake up again. Allen entered the final command and KOS-MOS came to life. She got up and opened her eye lids to reveal her crimson eyes. Shion let out a sigh of relief. "Good morning, KOS-MOS. How are you?" Asked Shion.

"And good morning to you, Shion. My drive coefficient is down by .3, but everything else is running normal. There are no problems," replied KOS-MOS. I smirked at her response. She was still talking like a computer, same as ever. Shion walked over to KOS-MOS and hugged her.

"Good. I'm sorry, KOS-MOS." KOS-MOS' eyes shifted over towards Shion.

"Is there something wrong, Shion?" Asked KOS-MOS.

"No. It's nothing. I'm just happy. That's all," said Shion with a tone of happiness in her voice.

"Well, it's good to see you are able to function after that battle. When I saw you get thrown around like that I wasn't sure about the condition you were going to be in," I said. Shion let go of KOS-MOS. Her eyes then shifted towards me.

"Good Morning, Alex. It is good to see you again. The damage of that previous battle is almost completely repaired. I am fine," said KOS-MOS.

"All right then. We shouldn't stay here long. Let's hurry up and get out," said Jr.

"Yes. I agree," added Allen.

"Yeah," said Shion. She looked over at KOS-MOS. "KOS-MOS, can you enter battle mode?"

"Yes, any time," answered KOS-MOS. We moved on towards the large elevator up ahead.

"I think we can use this," said chaos.

"One sec," said Jr as he walked over to the terminal that controlled the elevator. "Yeah it's connected to the exercise area. Looks good." Shion held her hand to her head again. Jin noticed this.

"Shion, are you all right? You don't look well," said Jin.

"What? It's nothing. I'm…fine..." Started Shion in a weak voice. She suddenly passed out again.

"Shion!" Exclaimed Jin. We all stood around her, to see what had happened. After a few minutes, she woke up.

"Chief!" Exclaimed Allen who seemed very relieved.

"Shion! Thank goodness." Exclaimed MOMO.

"What? Why am I… What happened?" Asked Shion as she recovered from her dazed expression.

"Are you really okay?" Asked Jr.

"Yeah sorry. I'm-I'm okay now," said Shion. We activated the Elevator and kept on moving. As we arrived in the exercise arena, two slates in the wall opened up and 6 light blue AGWS came running out towards us.

"Oh hell," I said.

"Now would be a good time to get the hell out of here!" Exclaimed Jr. We began to run down the hallway of large pillars.

"Not good! They are going to catch up with us in a mere matter of seconds!" Exclaimed Miyuki. Suddenly the ground in front of us bursted, throwing tiles all over the place. Ahead of us was the large orange Gnosis that we had seen earlier.

"This just keeps on getting worse," said Shion. I looked over at the incoming AGWS.

"I'll take care of the AGWS! You guys focus on the Gnosis!" I exclaimed.

"You must be joking, Alex! There is a no way you can take on 6 units at the same time!" Said Jin.

"We don't have a choice right now. Alex, your only chance of victory is to try and hijack one of their units!" Exclaimed Jr. I nodded.

"Alright!" I began to charge towards the units when all of a sudden another part of the wall opened. Out of it came yet another unit. But this one was different. It was a large black unit with four wings coming out of it's back. It had a mix of colors on it's various parts, such as red and white. It's most distinguishable feature was that it actually had a face. It was a stern scowl with glowing yellow eyes. It was wearing a red head piece with a green glowing center. The unit was positioned in a fighting stance as if the pilot inside know how to perform martial arts when using the unit. It looked like a good unit so I figured I'd steal this one. It began to run towards me, to counter this I jumped into the air and I landed on one of it's arms. It tried to swipe me off with the other arm but then I did a side ways somersault and as I fell to the ground I caught a latch on the torso of the unit. With my free hand I summoned the Dark Horizon and aimed it at the torso, the cockpit should be around here somewhere. Energy started to concentrate at the tip and then it fired off in the form of a laser towards the cockpit entrance. There was a hiss and the panel shifted open somewhat, enough for me to climb up and rip it open. I quickly pulled myself up and I tore open the cockpit. "Get out of the cockpit and I won't... huh?" There was nobody in the unit. I shrugged and closed the cockpit door as I got into the seat. I started pressing buttons on the panel and then a message popped up on the small screen with a voice saying the message.

"AI pilot de-activated. Welcome Master. I am Omega Universitas. Nice to meet you," said the voice. Since when did they give suits a personality?

"Well it's nice to meet you too. Now, let's go. We gotta take care of those other units," I said. The controls were a lot like my ship's. But this one was far superior. I charged towards the nearby unit. I dodged to the side as it tried to slash at me with it's sword. Then I launched forward and punched the AGWS' head off. As it fell to the ground I picked up it's sword. I ducked as one of the other units started firing at me. I quickly rushed in and slashed off it's arm that held the gun. Then I put dropped the sword, picked up the other unit and threw it at the three incoming units like bowling pins. I saw the incoming unit rush towards me with two swords. I picked up my sword and threw it. The sword stabbed through the head and the unit fell down. I smirked. This unit was truly amazing. I got out and walked over to everyone else. I saw the large Gnosis lying on the ground, Shion and the others had been able to finish it off.

"Geez, what the hell is the military thinking keeping things like that around?" Exclaimed Jr.

"Yes, it's definitely not an admirable hobby," added Jin. Jr looked over at me and then over at the AGWS units I had taken out.

"That was fast, you handled that craft pretty well."

"It just came natural somehow. That suit over there is not an ordinary one, for sure," I said.

"Anyway, it looks like everyone's okay," said Shion.

"Well we were able to recover KOS-MOS," added Allen.

"Then there's no reason for us to stay here. Let's return to the Durandal and hurry to the Elsa's rescue," Concluded chaos. We left the facility, got onboard the Durandal, and headed off to the hyper sphere. To rescue the Elsa. As I looked out the window in the park section, I went into deep thought. I couldn't help but feel as if my choice to go with everyone had started to move events into action that could not be stopped. But then again, I could be just imagining things. But one goal remained clear in my mind.

"_I will find a way to save our Universe," _I said in my thoughts.

Meanwhile...

At the top of the Fifth Jerusalem Orbital Tower, Roth Mantel stood watching the Durandal leave. Suddenly the Blue Testament appeared at his side.

"So, what are you gonna do with them? Are we just going to let them go?" Asked the Blue Testament. Roth Mantel looked over at his ally.

"That's a foolish question. As we've observed, the compass swings sharply when Shion comes into contact with KOS-MOS. The Thirteenth Key. Even without our intervention, they will reach that location," said Roth. Although he couldn't see it, Roth knew that the Blue Testament was smirking sarcastically.

"I guess everything follows the destined flow, huh. Don't tell me you knew this was going to happen from the beginning. Ooh…scary, scary," said the Blue Testament in a mocking voice.

* * *

So now the group has rescued KOS-MOS. But will her power be enough to break through the Hyper sphere? And on the other side, King Mickey, Donald, Goofy, and Luther continue to search for answers. But will they find anything useful in time? Anyway, please review. Sorry this chapter took so long to release. I've had a sort of lack of time. Plus these chapters seem to be getting longer. Gah, so much ground to cover. 


	6. Rennes le Château

Thanks goes to those who reviewed. Here it is, the next chapter. Enjoy! Warning: slightly strong language in this chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Ocean, Kingdom Hearts, or Xenosaga.

* * *

Chapter 6: Rennes-le-Château

Inside Ansem's Computer...

The group had arrived at the I/O Tower, where they could access the data on the disc... or at least try to. Tron picked up the disc that had been left sitting inside the pillar of light. He then placed it on a nearby machine like device and activated it.

"Alright, I'll need someone to help me on the other terminal," said Tron.

"Leave it to me," replied Luther as he walked over to the nearby terminal. As Luther and Tron worked on decoding the security, King Mickey suddenly jumped as a letter appeared in front of him.

"What's that?" Asked Donald as he walked over to his King.

"It looks like a letter of some sort," said King Mickey as he opened it. After reading it, King Mickey looked up at everyone. "Well it looks like Alex made it into the other Universe in piece. This letter is from him?"

"What did he say?" Asked Goofy. Without a word, King Mickey handed the letter to Donald and Goofy. The two of them read it.

"At least he's still alive," said Donald. Luther and Tron read it as well.

"No progress yet? That's unlike Alex," commented Luther.

"What is Zarathustra?" Asked Tron. Luther turned his head over to Tron.

"That's what we don't know. And that is also why Alex is looking for it. The fact that there is an object with massive amounts of power and no real purpose is probably unsettling for Alex," explained Luther.

"That would be unsettling for anyone," commented King Mickey. There was a loud beep and Tron and Luther stopped typing.

"Okay we're through the 2nd layer," said Tron.

"What have we unlocked?" Asked Luther.

"You'll have to go back to the User World in order to find out." Luther sighed.

"It's never that easy, huh? Alright, we'll be back to finish the job," said Luther. The group left the computer world and arrived back in Ansem's Computer Room. Leon looked over at the group as they teleported back.

"Did you find anything?" Asked Leon.

"We managed to get through the 2nd layer. But in order to view it, we have to go back here," explained King Mickey.

"And I want to make a copy of whatever we find and send it to Alex. I bet he will need that info," said Luther.

"But he might already know about this stuff," added Donald.

"Even so, it couldn't hurt," commented King Mickey. Leon activated the disc again. As the window popped up, there was an obvious change.

"It looks like all the new files have been added to this folder," said Luther. "How convenient." Leon accessed a file and a hologram appeared of the floating landmass.

"Gawrsh, look at that," said Goofy. "That's the..."

"Floating Landmass..." Finished Donald.

"But why would this be..." King Mickey held up a hand as if saying to be quiet.

"Hold on a second, something is happening," he stated. A bright light bursted from the center of the transparent image of the landmass. It spread around the landmass and then all of a sudden it shrunk and disappeared.

"What is this?" Asked Leon.

"It looks like a projection showing what would happen if something occurred... whatever that something is," commented Luther. The next file was filled with pictures of Gnosis that littered the screen.

"What are those?" Asked Donald.

"I dunno. They aren't Heartless or Nobodies," answered King Mickey. The next file was an image of a large, strange metal object that looked like the back bone of some creature. At the bottom of the picture was a small bit of info about what the object was. All it said was: Vessel of Anima.

"Anybody know how any of this is relevant or helpful?" Asked Leon who seemed rather confused at the images.

"There has got to be more things on this disc, but they are protected by stronger security programs," said Luther. Donald let out a sigh.

"This is going to take awhile," he said.

* * *

SWITCHING TO ALEX'S POV

* * *

The Durandal had arrived at it's designated coordinates. We all assembled in the Hangar, to get ready for the upcoming event... not to mention to criticize me.

"So Alex, why didn't you take that craft with you?" Asked Jr.

"It's because it's not mine. And I already have one," I said.

"But you seemed to do pretty well with it, ah well it's your call." Jr looked over at my ship. "I don't know why you would exchange a top secret craft for that thing," said Jr with a smirk.

"Due to the lack of good armor, weapons, or any useful function; there is a 95 probability that your ship will be destroyed if we encounter a strong enemy," added KOS-MOS as she looked up at my ship.

"It does have SOME equipment. Two vulcans in the front and two beam cannons," I protested.

"I wouldn't say that's a good arsenal, but as long as you don't get reckless you might be okay," said Shion.

"Don't worry, I'll be careful," I said. I looked around at the hangar to see the four ES's that everyone used. Jin's Reuben consisted of green colors, silver, and yellow. It wielded two large katanas and a shield with a dragon on it. Overall it looks like a giant insect. MOMO's Unit consisted of white, pink, black, and purple colors. Two large arrow shaped objects stuck out of the unit's head like ears and it had small stubby legs with high heels and short arms. Overall this unit looked like some sort of fairy creature. MOMO's co-pilot is Ziggy. KOS-MOS' unit looked like a white angel creature, naturally her co-pilot is none other than Shion. Jr's unit consisted of purple and silver colors. It's appearance reminded me of some sort of monster... or maybe a demon. Jr's co-pilot is chaos.

"Now, let's get going. Every second counts," said Jin, changing the subject. We got into our mobile suits (or ship in my case) and we left the Durandal. As we neared the hyper sphere, a bunch of Gnosis appeared.

"Why must these damn creatures always show up?" I groaned.

"They are good at being annoying," said Jr as we all zoomed off towards the enemy. At one point, one of the Gnosis got knocked down towards the blue energy surface of the sphere. As it touched the energy, the Gnosis was instantly vaporized. I let out a whistle at this display of power.

"The differential boundary strength of the surface is 910e," commented chaos.

"Damn, you kidding? Touch that and say good-bye, huh?" Asked Jr.

"That Gnosis found out the hard way," I said as I spun around a Gnosis and opened fire with the few guns that I had on my ship in combat mode.

"Shion! Head straight for the coordinates!" Exclaimed Jin as he slashed a nearby Gnosis in half with one of his swords.

"I got it!" Said Shion as she flew down towards the weak point. KOS-MOS stood on top of the ES Dinah, waiting to activate the Tertiary Weapon System. "Are you ready, KOS-MOS?" A series of small metal rods spread around KOS-MOS back like wings. Two shoulder pads appeared along with two pods on the waist.

"Initialization complete. Safety released," said KOS-MOS. Shion flew the Dinah closer towards the hyper sphere.

"We're in range. Do it anytime, KOS-MOS!" Ordered Shion.

"Acknowledged," replied KOS-MOS. Two blue beams shot out of the pods on her waist. It was a direct hit with the hyper sphere, but then nothing happened.

"What the hell? What's going on?" Exclaimed Jr.

"Oh no! Even KOS-MOS can't disturb it!" Said MOMO. I let out a sigh of frustration. I've had to deal with some tough situations before, but this is ridiculous. Of all things to block our path, it had to be a giant, glowing sphere of energy.

"Chief, maybe this is beyond us!" Complained Allen.

"Just believe in KOS-MOS! It's all right. I know that she'll be able to do it!" Assured Shion.

"Setting weapon deployment to maximum output!" Exclaimed KOS-MOS. The rods behind her back formed into green energy wings. A holograph of some design appeared in front of KOS-MOS with three circles in the middle of it. A large beam came shooting out of the holograph and it came into contact with the hyper sphere. There was a blinding flash of light and a hole opened up.

"All right!" Exclaimed Shion.

"Oh yeah! We're goin' in!" Shouted Jr as we all rushed towards the opening. Speaking of which, that opening was slowly closing.

"Here we go!" I exclaimed as I went through the hole as well. I had gotten in just in time to see the wall close behind me. As we arrived, we could see the massive underside of the landmass.

"What does the scan of the interior show?" Asked Ziggy.

"Temperature: 18 degrees Celsius. Pressure: 0.94. Wind speed at landing point is 20 m/s. Atmosphere is 77 nitrogen, 20 oxygen with traces of argon and carbon dioxide. The air is breathable," explained MOMO.

"18 degrees Celsius? It's a good thing I brought a jacket with me," I commented.

"What's the Elsa's position? Can we get in touch with the crew?" Asked Jr.

"There's a response on the underside of the object," answered chaos.

"I'm opening the channel," added MOMO. On the radio I could hear the audio from Jr's transmission.

"Woohoo! We're saved! We're gonna get out of here!" Exclaimed two voices... belonging to Tony and Hammer.

"Little Master! Thank God you're here!" Exclaimed Hammer.

"Out of the way! Can't believe you're getting' all excited just because they showed up," said Captain Matthews.

"You guys sound like you're doing just fine," commented Jr.

"Of course. You can't run a salvage business if you let every little setback get you down."

"Looks like there's a couple of exceptions to that rule."

"Hey! Stop goofin' around and get to your posts!" The sound of two transmissions ending played through the speakers.

"We're on our way now. Get the hangar ready for us."

"Roger. We'll be waiting to welcome you," said Captain Matthews.

"The Elsa is practically right next to us," said Jin as he got the coordinates.

"Then let's get this rescue under way," I said. As we began to head towards the Elsa I felt strange. It was if some weight had been added to my body, and I had a slight headache. "Ah..." I groaned. The four ES's stopped and looked over at me.

"Alex? What's wrong?" Asked chaos.

"It's nothing, my hand just slipped on one of the controls, that's all," I lied. It wouldn't surprise me if they didn't believe me. That was a pretty bad story that I had just made up. We located the Elsa and flew towards it. We got onboard and we got off our crafts. From there, we took the elevator up to the first floor where the Bridge was. As we arrived at the first floor I looked around and grinned. "This place hasn't changed a bit since the last time I was here." Memories of those days came to mind as I looked at this familiar scenery. When I came here, I was lost and confused. I didn't know what was around the next corner, always alert and worried that I would get attacked by Organization XIII, searching for answers, and facing an uncertain future. I thought I had overcome the uncertain future... but maybe I haven't done that yet. Now these Universes are slowly heading towards their destruction, and one of them is my fault. I must take responsibility for my mistakes, no matter what.

"I remember that, we didn't know what to think when we heard that an intruder had somehow gotten onto the Durandal," said Jr.

"Then KOS-MOS kicked the crap out of me and Axel," I added.

"It was the right cause of action at that time," said KOS-MOS.

"Well yeah, I was an intruder I guess." The door to the bridge opened and we went inside. We started talking to Captain Matthews and the others about how to get out... only that was when we found out about one small problem. For some reason, the Elsa wasn't able to leave it's current position. Making escape impossible at this time.

"You can't escape?! Why?" Asked Jr with a tone of shock in his voice.

"We haven't got a clue," answered Captain Matthews. He looked over at Hammer. "Hey, Hammer!"

"The logical drive isn't responding at all. There should be nothing wrong with it since it's fully repaired and functioning normally. Anyway, I haven't got a clue," explained Hammer.

"If the logical drive isn't working, there's nothing we can do," said Jr.

"Yes, as things are now, the environment bugs will run out of resources first, and then we'll eventually run out of water and oxygen," said Professor. Professor was an old man that was balding. He wore glasses and a green outfit of some sort. This was the first time I had met him, but apparently he and the group go back a ways.

"Professor…" Said Jr.

"Something in this strange land must be affecting it. We'll have to go out and have a look."

"You're certain that something in this land is causing it?" Asked Ziggy.

"It's impossible to be sure. But I think it's worth investigating," answered Professor. That does seem like the only choice we have. It's either stay here and run out of the necessary things for survival... or find a way to get the hell out of here. We all chose the latter obviously.

"I agree, with perfect repairs there should be no reason as to why the logical drive wouldn't work. We don't have any choice but to go and see what is out there," I said.

"Captain, get things ready so you can launch at any time. Don't worry, we'll have you outta here in no time," said Jr. We all left the Bridge and as we began to walk towards the ES elevator I couldn't help but feel that something bad was about to happen... of course it could be that I'm just going crazy. So anyway we got into our crafts and we got out of the ship. Fortunately the hangar door opened up to a rock platform which lead upwards towards a cavern. As we went up towards the cave I felt my body suddenly get heavy again and my head ache returned. It was brief, but a stronger than the first time. But it was gone as quickly as it had come. We continued moving through the large cavern. At one point we came to an area where the cave got larger, and it felt like we were beginning to get close to the center of this landmass. That was right about the time we found a strange purple crystal lying in a corner.

"What is that?" Asked Shion.

"This is a Geocrystal," explained KOS-MOS.

"It seems we can't destroy it even with the power of the E.S.s." Said Ziggy. Right about that time, I realized that this crystal substance looked familiar.

"Hey, I've seen this stuff before," I said. The four ES's looked over at me.

"You have?" Asked Shion. I nodded.

"Yeah, it was on a planet I had explored a few months ago." Of course I had lied about that. I didn't think it was important to tell them exactly where I had found the item. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the purple shard I had found at the landmass back in my Universe. But why is this substance on that landmass too? We continued onwards past the Geocrystal in the corner. We went up a small ledge that lead to another Geocrystal just above the first one.

"There's another one," commented Jin. I moved towards it out of curiosity. It was positioned so that it was somehow almost over the edge and yet it was staying in one place.

"I wonder how much this thing weighs? It would be awesome if we could take it with us later on. It might be worth something." I stated as I put the arms of my ship onto the Geocrystal. I gave it a little push to see how heavy it was and I heard the large purple crystal shift. I looked back over at the group. "See? It's so easy to push that we..." The next thing I heard was a loud crash sound. Turning my ship around, I saw that the Geocrystal I had just pushed had fallen over the edge and hit the one below it. As a result, both of the large crystals had shattered.

"There goes your plan of selling the Geocrystal," said Shion with a tone of amusement in her voice.

"But at least this has showed us how to take care of any more Geocrystal that blocks our path," said Ziggy. We continued onward until we came across a large Geocrystal that was blocking our way.

"There's a Geocrystal over there, too," commented MOMO.

"This one isn't going to be easy to take out. I don't see another Geocrystal anywhere nearby," said chaos. There was a pause. "Look! Up there." We all looked up to see a Geocrystal up on a ledge high above the one in front of us.

"But how are we going to get up there?" Asked Jr.

"There is a ledge midway. But that only covers half the distance. And there is no clear and present way to get up to that lower ledge," said MOMO

"One of us will have to climb up there and find a way up towards the Geocrystal," said KOS-MOS.

"That's a good idea. Whoever has the lightest craft should go," added Shion.

"And they'll have to have the guts to do something crazy and reckless like this," finished Jin. That was right about the time where all 4 ES's looked right at me.

"Why me?" I asked.

"Cause that pile of junk is the lightest in terms of weight," explained Jr.

"And why do I get this feeling that today is not going to be my day?" I asked as I walked towards the rock wall. With a firm grip, I began my long climb upwards. The issue with this was that at certain areas I couldn't find a good place to hold onto to keep moving up. Every now and then I would have to go right or left instead. Or even down a bit. I finally managed to pull myself up onto the ledge. MOMO was right, there was a cave that lead further up. This might lead to where I need to go. I went up and soon I found out that I was right. There was the Geocrystal that we had seen from high up. With a good, hard shove I pushed the Geocrystal down to the ground below and it collided with the one that was blocking our path. I jumped off the ridge and activated ship mode. With the wings I was able to glide down to the ground and then I went back into combat mode.

"Not bad, that unit really does have some pros to it," said chaos.

"Still, I can't believe you would take that thing over that suit you used at the CAT facility," commented Jr. We moved onwards towards the large cave ahead. Inside was something we hadn't expected to see. There was a large opening in the wall that looked like a temple entrance. There were parts of the wall with some long lost language on it. It also looked like we couldn't go any further in our suits. That was right around the time that my body started to feel heavy again and the headache returned. But this time around it was so much worse than the past two times. And it lasted for a lot longer too. Eventually it began to clear up. "Whoa! Where are we?" Exclaimed Jr.

"It looks like a cave..." Commented MOMO. We looked around at this massive cavern. The 'cave' we had been in before was big, but this was on an entirely different scale. "A very wide one." Jr noticed the runes on the front wall that I had seen a few seconds ago.

"Hum? Is that Hebrew? No, maybe it's ancient Aramaic?" Commented Jr. To tell the truth, I was surprised that he knew what this language was. I guess it wasn't as ancient and forgotten as I had thought. "Let's see... "Behold the great…" Aah! I don't know. I can't read it."

"And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it," recited MOMO.

"Wow that sounds like a bunch of religious hocus pocus," I commented.

"Wow! You can read it, MOMO?" Asked Jr.

"No, I recognize it. They're exactly the same words that I've seen before. It was recorded and stored in Daddy's Y-Data," replied MOMO.

"Mizrahi's?"

"Look out!" Exclaimed Shion all of a sudden. A large red beam shot through our group's rank and causes us to disperse slightly. We all turned around to see a dark blue craft that looked like a space shuttle equipped with heavy artillery.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?" Asked a voice. Suddenly the Blue Testament appeared on top of the mysterious craft. "Don't you know it's rude to come into someone's home uninvited!"

"Testament?" Exclaimed Jr.

"Not these bastards," I muttered under my breath. I was hopping that I could avoid encountering these guys. But now that may not be a likely possibility.

"You! You were in the Song of Nephilim!" Said Shion.

"Oh, so you remember me? Well, isn't that nice. I find that rather interesting," said the Blue Testament with a tone of slight happiness. He put his hand to his mask. "You see, I remember you, too. I remember that you let me die!" Exclaimed the Blue Testament as he removed his mask. He had short blonde hair, green eyes, and a strange skin deformation that went down from the right side of his head to the cheek bone. Shion let out a gasp.

"But, Lieutenant Virgil! How?" Exclaimed Shion.

"Now don't get all sentimental on me. It's not like I've been hiding out here in this dump all this time just so the two of us can talk about old memories," said this Virgil person. He spread out his arms. "Hardly! No, I've got business to attend to with your craft!" The strange ship folded out and turned into a large bug like creature armed with several pieces of heavy artillery.

"Wait, Lieutenant! You're right! It's true th-that…that was..." Stammered Shion.

"Like I've told you before, all your self-righteous crap makes me sick!" Shouted Virgil. Suddenly I detected something with my ship's sensors. I looked behind me to see the front wall runes glowing with a strange white light.

"Jr.! Look at the letters on the wall!" Exclaimed MOMO. Everyone else looked in the same direction that I was looking at. Then all of a sudden, all of the ES surrounding me started glowing with strange purple energy.

"G-guys? What's going on here?" I asked. Suddenly the strange conditions I had been suffering from got worse. It almost made it hard to use the controls, let alone move my own body. And my headache made it hard for me to focus.

"Damn! It's already started." Said Virgil.

"Wait! What's going on?" Demanded Jr. Virgil started laughing.

"Ha, ha, ha, ha! You were riding them without even knowing about that?

Oh, whoops. And you're still "compelled" to ride them now, huh? Ha, ha, ha! Now

that really is funny!" Said Virgil.

"What are you talking about?" Asked Shion. Suddenly the purple energy faded away.

"It's quite simple! That is the kind of place this is, to those Vessels of Anima that you're using." Explained Virgil in a cryptic riddle.

"To the Vessels of Anima?"

"Yes, that's what I said." Virgil looked at my ship. He probably noticed that it was bending downwards. "Oh and it looks like this place must be a nightmare for Nobodies and Heartless, right boy?"

"W...w...what are you... talking about?" I gasped out.

"Alex, what's wrong?" Asked MOMO.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Exclaimed Jr as he looked back over at Virgil.

"Come on. You're not very bright are you? Why don't you just try using your heads a little for once?" Exclaimed Virgil as he disappeared and his craft came to life. He focused on me again. "Your piece of junk makes me sick." A bunch of extra guns folded out of the mysterious craft. "I'll just have to get rid of it then." All of his guns started firing at me, the heavy artillery as well, pretty soon I saw a barrage of missiles, bullets, and energy beams flying towards me. My body hurt too much so I took the only option I had. I used my ship's transport function to transport down onto the ground nearby. Just in time to watch my ship get hit with all of those attacks and explode.

"Dammit! I exclaimed. That ship was my only means of getting around easier. Now I would have to rely only on the powers of darkness.

"There we go, one down, four to go," said Virgil.

"Alex, are you okay?" Asked Jin.

"Yes, I'm fine. I transported out at the last second," I replied. I looked over at the big craft. "You're gonna pay for that." I summoned the Dark Horizon. Even though I was in no condition to be fighting, I still had to do something.

"Oh please, what can you do without a unit to fight me with? You don't have any power." Taunted Virgil.

"Shut up!" I shouted as I attempted to run towards the large craft. I used a portal of darkness to teleport into the air where I could land an aerial strike.

"You might not want to do that..." Suggested Virgil. It turns out he was right. As I reappeared through the darkness in the air I was instantly greeted with pain searing through my body, far worse than anything before hand. Suddenly a bunch of symbols appeared, circled around me, and attached themselves to my arms. I let out a scream of pain as this process occurred. The symbols stopped glowing and I fell to the ground. Upon hitting the only pain I now felt was the impact of falling from at least 10 or 12 feet in the air. My body felt normal and my headache was gone.

"What just happened?" I asked as I looked at the black symbols that now decorated my arms like tattoos.

"You should have listened. In this place, your powers of darkness will not help you. This is a holy place, your powers will be nullified and sealed if you try to use them," explained Virgil. Just great, as a half blood Nobody, a good chunk of my power WAS the power of darkness.

"Stand back, we will take care of him," said Ziggy. The four ES started fighting Virgil and his craft. After awhile, Virgil reappeared outside of his craft.

"Heh! Well this is interesting. I guess there's just too many of you," he said.

"Lieutenant, you died. You're supposed to be dead. So how..." Started Shion.

"How did I get here? Is that your question? Am I alive or am I dead? It doesn't really matter. That isn't even important. Then again, it's not something that I would expect you to be able to understand," said Virgil in his continuing crypticness.

"Oh, please. Enough babbling nonsense, partner." Said a new voice. Suddenly a large white craft appeared. This one looked like a monster due to claw like hands on the shoulders. On top of it was the White Testament.

"Give me a break, not another one in the same place," I groaned.

"What's this? Is the new kid coming to crash the party?" Asked Virgil.

"The time has come! Or, what? Were you planning on staying here forever?" Asked the White Testament.

"Th-that voice! A-Albedo?" Stated Jr. Albedo... wasn't that the name of Jr's brother? Virgil teleported up next to the White Testament.

"Hey, wait a minute! Albedo! It's you isn't it? Did you forget about me?" Asked Jr. Albedo raised up his hand and then all of a sudden a strange object that looks like the back bone of a creature rose out of the mysterious craft that Virgil was using. It broke down all of a sudden.

"Vessel of Anima! Why? You mean you pilot E.S.s as well?" Exclaimed Shion.

"No, wait Albedo!" Exclaimed Jr. As the white craft began to leave through a large hole in the cave. At that moment, everyone's ES started glowing with purple energy again. "What? What the hell? Damn! The E.S. isn't responding!"

"Neither is mine. The energy gain is dropping. It's going to shut down!" Commented Ziggy.

"Output still dropping!" Added MOMO.

"Ha, ha, ha! That's what I tried to tell you! Like I said before, that's the kind of place this is. Oh well. Good luck figuring it out!" Said Virgil's voice. Everyone got out of their ES and landed on the platform that I was on.

"Dammit, we'll have to walk the rest of the way," groaned Jr.

"What did Lieutenant Virgil mean by "that's what kind of place this is"?" Asked Shion.

"I expect the answer to that question lies ahead," answered Jin. He looked over at me and then at my arms. "So what exactly happened back there?"

"I tried to use my powers to attack him, but then all of a sudden I am greeted by a burst of pain. And now I don't feel any of my power within me. It's like it as has all evaporated and left me," I explained.

"That's what you get for being reckless," said the Dark Horizon's voice. We looked ahead to see the entrance to the temple. We walked inside and looked around at the main hall.

"What is this place?" I asked. This place was just like the ruins on the landmass over in my Universe. But I sense that something is different. While I couldn't use the power of darkness, I could still smell scents. And I was picking up an unusual scent up ahead a little ways away from here. We started walking down the long hallway. As we walked along we encountered Gnosis here and there. This didn't surprise me somehow, these creatures seem to find a way to infest everywhere in sight. It's almost as bad as the Heartless and the Nobodies. But that raised a question in my mind; where were the Heartless and the Nobodies. Throughout my journey in this Universe I had yet to encounter one of them. Since I was able to go through to this side, wouldn't that mean that they could do so too? Eventually after navigating through the large temple we finally came across a stair case that lead up onto a grassy field with ruins. Surrounding the small field was a bunch of trees and a mountain in the background. A strange fog blanketed the ground, shrouding some of the distant objects.

"Where are we? Did we come out on the surface?" Asked Jr. We stopped and looked around. "Man, how the hell can something like this be floating out in space?"

"Huh! This…is…" Gasped Shion.

"What's up, Shion?" Asked Jr.

"I've seen this place before. It's the place in my dream."

"Ya don't say. I wonder why you would have..." I was cut off as I detected Nephilim's scent. I looked over to see her walking off towards a pathway that was lined by trees.

"Nephilim?" Asked Shion. I shot my head over to Shion in surprise. I didn't know that other people could see that cryptic little girl. I was about to say something when Shion grasped her head and I felt that brief disorientation again. "Oh, my head..."

"Shion?" Asked chaos as he approached her. "Are you all right? What's wrong?"

"I'm fine. It's nothing." I stepped forward towards the path that Nephilim had walked towards before she had faded.

"I'm sensing something this way, I don't know what it is though," I said.

"What do you detect?" Asked Ziggy.

"This scent is of light. But it's strange, it's one of the strongest light scents I have ever encountered." Yes, this was a very strong light scent. Even stronger than that of a Princess of Heart, or even that of Kairi who possessed no darkness in her heart.

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Asked Jin.

"Since it is a light scent, then we can assume it should be good. But..." But there was another scent too... and it seemed familiar. The smell of it filling my nose made me feel unsettled and hesitant... even worried. I shook my head. "Hm... never mind." We moved onwards down the path of trees and fog. Eventually we found another set of stairs that lead down into a large tomb. It was a large cavern with 13 grave markers on the left and right. At the front was a cross of some sort accompanied by a coffin in front of it. This place... this was that place from the simulator, and my dream.

"This is an impressive sight." Commented Jin.

"It looks like a tomb. Are those coffins?" Asked Jr. The two of them walked towards one of the broken grave markers on the floor. "It's empty. Did some grave robbers get to it or something?"

"I doubt there would be grave robbers in a place like this, but that is strange," replied Jin.

"Jr.! Look!" Exclaimed MOMO. Jr looked away from the broken grave and over at MOMO who was looking at a grave in the next row.

"What it is, MOMO?" He asked.

"This coffin has the name "Asher" on it," she responded. Asher... wait that was the name of Jr's ES. A coincidence maybe?

"Hm," said Jr with a tone of interest in his voice. He looked at another grave marker. "This one says "Dinah"? You've got to be kidding me. They're all E.S. names." Okay, this is not a coincidence. There is no way that they would just somehow by the same name as that of those ES. I looked over to see that KOS-MOS and Shion were looking at the coffin at the end of the room. I approached them to see what they had to say about the coffin.

"This is the place from KOS-MOS's subconscious domain. But why is it here?" Asked Shion. She looked over at KOS-MOS. "KOS-MOS, do you know this location?"

"No. My memory contains no data regarding our current location," responded KOS-MOS.

"Yeah, you've never been here since you were developed. What does this all mean?" Commented Shion. I took a step towards the coffin and I placed my hand on it.

"But it's strange, as I stand here looking at this grave... I feel sad for some reason. No, not just here. This whole place is nostalgic as hell," I said.

"_I feel that nostalgia too," _said the Dark Horizon in my thoughts.

"_Then we cannot write this off as a coincidence nor a look alike of some place else." _I responded in my thoughts.

"_I agree. But we must not linger here. I'm sure by now that you've sensed it too." _I nodded.

"_Yeah, it feels like we are walking into a trap." _We began to leave the large tomb when all of a sudden something shot down right in front of me in a blur. Then all of a sudden a blast of energy shot by me and towards the group. KOS-MOS blocked it and by now everyone was aware that we had just been ambushed. As the smoke cleared I smirked. _"Just as I thought." _The one who had attacked us was T-elos. She stood their with no emotion on her face. Her visor was covering her eyes... which is a good thing, she has some scary eyes.

"T-elos! Why is she here?" Asked Shion.

"I'm here for the Thirteenth Key. The time of awakening has arrived," responded T-elos. Her visor rose up, revealing her piercing blue eyes. That menacing gaze made me flinch and step back. T-elos seemed to notice my movement and her eyes locked right onto me. "And... I'm here for you... Reuel."

"Excuse me?" I asked.

"Wait a minute. What is she?" Asked Ziggy.

"She's KOS-MOS." Commented MOMO.

"So that's the T-Weapon? Someone has a twisted sense of humor, making her look exactly like KOS-MOS," said Jr.

"Either that or it's one huge coincidence... which is not very likely," I said.

"This presence… But wait, she can't be!" Whispered chaos. I could faintly hear what he said but I didn't bother to ask him what he was talking about.

"A simple doll that doesn't even understand its reason for existence," started T-elos as she raised her left arm slowly. "To ensure that I continue to exist as myself… KOS-MOS… I'm going to destroy you." Finished T-elos as she raised her left hand and a cloud of dust rose from the air then settled back to the ground. The air became dense, it was as if killer intent was pouring off of T-elos' skin and into the air. It was a frightening thing, I could barely move for fear that one bad step would result in instant death. I shakily summoned the Dark Horizon. Everyone got out there weapons and got ready to fight.

"Get ready everyone, this isn't going to be an easy fight," I said.

"You've fought against her before?" Asked Jr.

"That was a fun little match, another round then?" Asked T-elos with a smirk.

"Y-yeah I've fought against h-her before," I stuttered. I shook off my fear and looked right into T-elos' eyes. "Alright, you asked for it." We all charged towards T-elos, ready to attack. MOMO fired an arrow at T-elos, but T-elos simply dodged it. She blocked a triple attack unleashed by Jin, Shion, and Ziggy. With her energy sword she pushed them away from her and charged towards KOS-MOS. KOS-MOS started throwing a flurry of punches at T-elos but she managed to dodge them all and then kicked KOS-MOS away. T-elos pulled out a gun and ran towards KOS-MOS. Jr started firing at her, causing her to alter her course to avoid the bullets. That was when I ran towards T-elos and brought the Dark Horizon down towards her, she dodged the first three slashes and then caught the last strike with her right index finger and middle finger.

"Is that it Reuel?" She taunted. I glared at her and pulled the Dark Horizon back. I summoned the Immaculate Amalgam in my other hand and I threw both of them at T-elos. She dodged both of them and I heard the sound of them clashing into the wall. I summoned the Dark Horizon back to my hand. And brought it down towards T-elos. She blocked it with her arm guard. "Come on, are you actually trying?" I smirked and grabbed T-elos' right arm. She seemed confused at what I was doing. "And what are you up to?" I used my mind to tell the Immaculate Amalgam to come out of the wall and fly back towards me.

"Let's dance," I said. T-elos looked behind her just in time to get smacked in the head with the Immaculate Amalgam. I let go of her and kicked her back. In that instant I summoned the Immaculate Amalgam back into my left hand and I started landing a string of attacks on T-elos. Finally I smacked her into the air with a double strike. "Now!" I shouted. Everyone rushed forward and unleashed a fury of long range, medium range, and short range attacks on T-elos. T-elos fell back to the ground and didn't get back up. KOS-MOS summoned her triple machine gun and opened fire on T-elos. There was a bunch of flames and smoke surrounding T-elos' body.

"Is it over?" Asked Shion.

"Hah! Some top-secret weapon that thing was." Sneered Jr as he twirled one of his hand guns. I let out a sigh of relief. It was hard to believe, but we had managed to defeat T-elos. But then KOS-MOS crushed that hope.

"Shion. The enemy unit's output is 4.75 times higher than mine. Therefore we are at a clear disadvantage," said KOS-MOS.

"What? Wait, what do you mean?" Asked Shion. KOS-MOS raised her left hand in front of Shion.

"I am going to delay the enemy unit. Please retreat immediately."

"And I'll help," I said. KOS-MOS looked over at me.

"Additional help is not required in this situation. Please retreat with..." Started KOS-MOS.

"No, it seems like T-elos came here for me for some reason. I will be the bait." I was aware of the danger, and I knew damn well what I was doing. If I died here, it would be the end of my universe. But right now there is something much more important, I have to keep my friends safe.

"So be it," said KOS-MOS. The smoke cleared and there stood T-elos without a scratch on her. Now this was shocking, most people would have died from that much damage.

"What the!? Even after all those attacks, she's still completely unharmed?" Asked Shion.

"This is not good," I said.

"Clever trick, Reuel. But now you are in for some serious punishment. Once I dispose of KOS-MOS, I will deal with you," said T-elos. KOS-MOS ran towards T-elos and started throwing punches at her. Each attack was either blocked or dodged. Then KOS-MOS jumped and flipped in the air, while landing a kick down at T-elos. T-elos blocked the kick, and then launched her self up into the air and grabbed KOS-MOS arm with her two legs. This resulted in T-elos sitting on KOS-MOS back as they landed. She tried to break KOS-MOS arm but then KOS-MOS broke free. KOS-MOS tried to attack but got kicked back by T-elos.

"It's useless." Said a voice in the shadows. Roth Mantel came walking out of the shadows. "We've already completely analyzed her combat patterns."

"Why are you here?! What do you mean, analyzed? Do you mean…that task?" Asked Shion.

"It's probably against both of you wills, but it's KOS-MOS's fate to be destroyed by T-elos in this place."

"How can you even say that to me?! Why are you and T-elos even here to begin with?" Exclaimed Shion.

"The answer is simple. My job is to observe you," said Roth as he faded away and was replaced by the Red Testament.

"T-Testament?" Exclaimed Shion.

"Not you again," I groaned. KOS-MOS jumped into the air, followed by T-elos.

"You have no time to be surprised. Your princess is losing," said the Red Testament. He was right, KOS-MOS was having a hard time keeping up with T-elos.

"Dammit!" Exclaimed as I ran towards the fight, as I was about to jump the Red Testament appeared in front of me.

"And where are we going, Reuel?" Asked the Red Testament.

"My name is Alex. And get the hell out of the way! I've got a fight to join." I exclaimed.

"Sorry, you can't participate in this fight yet. Don't worry, you will get your chance to be crushed by T-elos. No she wouldn't kill you, don't worry about that. She wouldn't because..."

"Stop rambling! Get the fuck out of my way!" I exclaimed.

"So you want to fight huh? Well if it's a fight you want, it's a fight you shall get. I will be your opponent for awhile," said the Red Testament.

"Sounds good to me!" I said. I charged towards the Red Testament and slashed at him. He back flipped out of the way. I charged towards him again and I slashed at him. I hit an invisible barrier and I was sent flying back. The Red Testament's right hand ignited with fire and he started shooting fireballs at me. I blocked several of them and then I used Reflectaga to bounce one of them back.

"Oh dear, maybe you should help your friends," said the Red Testament. I shot my head over towards Shion and the others to see T-elos running towards them.

"No!" I shouted as I ran towards T-elos. She stopped dead and looked right at me. In a burst of speed she grabbed me and tackled me to the ground. She kneeled above me and had both of my arms in firm vice grips.

"You fell for it." She taunted. "Those Keyblades of yours are very powerful. Your power is needed for our plan. Now we can do this the easy way or the hard way. The easy way being you surrender and you don't get hurt. The hard way is I beat you into cooperation. Are we clear Reuel?"

"Get off of me." I ordered. T-elos sighed.

"The hard way then." She got off of me and walked a step away. As I tired to get up she slammed her right foot down onto my chest... hard. There were several loud snaps and a searing pain coursing through me. I let out a shout of agony. T-elos sighed and gave me a... sad look? "You should have listened. Now we have to do this the hard way." She walked away and rushed towards Shion and the others again. KOS-MOS recovered in time to block T-elos' strike. Then KOS-MOS summoned her triple machine gun and started shooting at T-elos. T-elos back flipped and landed on a pillar just below the large hole in the cavern ceiling. "KOS-MOS, what is the actual reason for your existence? You are nothing more than an empty vessel. How pathetic. You'll never be able to accomplish anything. Return to dust, so that I may truly…awaken!" Shouted T-elos. Suddenly a row of arm like things came out of T-elos chest and the center piece opened up. Red Energy started forming at the tip.

"What is that?" Asked MOMO.

"A phase transfer cannon? She's going to fire it at this close range?" Exclaimed Shion. I slowly got up while coughing up some blood.

"Get down you idiot, you are in no condition to be fighting," said the Dark Horizon.

"I... cannot... lose... here..." I said. I began to stumble towards the pillar that T-elos was on. That was right about the time I collapsed.

"T-elos, kill Reuel." Said the Red Testament. T-elos looked over at the Red Testament with a look of shock.

"You said we needed him? How can he help us if he's dead?" Demanded T-elos as the sphere of red energy continued to grow in size.

"All we need is his power. It doesn't matter if he is alive or dead," said the Red Testament.

"But..." Protested T-elos. She sighed and looked right at me. "This is goodbye. It's too bad though. I could've shown you how to unlock your hidden powers, we would have made a great team." T-elos fired it at me.

"Alex! You have to get up!" Shouted Jr. I tried to get up but I didn't have the energy to move. I could feel my consciousness slipping from blood loss, and if that happened I would fade into darkness and die. Suddenly KOS-MOS ran towards me and threw me back over to where Shion and the others were. As I was thrown I saw KOS-MOS' battered and torn up body. She had it so much worse than I did right now.

"KOS-MOS!" Shouted Shion. The blast hit KOS-MOS. T-elos's head piece started glowing and a bunch of explosions occurred on KOS-MOS' body. The force of the impact sent everyone to their feet. Almost everyone got up to see KOS-MOS fall to the ground. Her right arm was almost entirely gone and there was damage all over her. T-elos landed on the ground and walked towards KOS-MOS with a grin of victory on her face. "But why? KOS-MOS!" Suddenly I had a vision of that woman from my previous visions. It was very brief though. But somehow seeing her filled me with strength to stand up. T-elos kicked KOS-MOS in the side. "No! Please stop!" Shouted Shion.

"I... cannot fail... here..." I managed to say. "My mission... I must not... fail..." I looked over at KOS-MOS' battered body on the ground. It was my fault that this had happened to her. It was all my fault. If I hadn't gotten in the way that wouldn't have happened to her.

"I am order!" Exclaimed T-elos. Then her voice changed to a tone of anger. "Not you, KOS-MOS!" She slammed her foot down onto KOS-MOS' chest. There was a loud breaking sound as sparks shot up out of KOS-MOS.

"STOP IT!" Screamed Shion. Suddenly her pendant started glowing with blue light. The coffin at the other end of the room started glowing too. The strange smell of light grew stronger. I looked down at KOS-MOS body to see that her eyes had changed somehow. Then KOS-MOS started glowing blue too. As the light touched me my wounds healed.

"_Reuel... you must live to fight another day." _Said a voice inside my head. It was the voice of that woman. Then the light engulfed us all and everything went black as I passed out.

* * *

So what has happened? What will become of our heroes? And is KOS-MOS alright? Find out in the next chapter. Anyway, please review. 


	7. Back to the Past

My thanks goes to those who reviewed. Yeah, you know who you are. Here is the next chapter, enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Ocean, Kingdom Hearts, or Xenosaga.

* * *

Chapter 7: Back to the Past

The Klausian Orbital Station Ogetsu had arrived at it's destination about 10 minutes ago. Currently it was orbiting Planet Styx, the location of an important mission. Well, she heard it was important. But why would the New Pangalactic Federation send a Klausian team to Styx if the mission was so important? Would it kill them to get off their lazy butts and do their own work for once. No, that was asking too much of them. They were just a bunch of politicians only capable of bickering and getting nothing done.

Having just finished taking a shower, she put on a bathrobe and started drying her hair. While doing so, the phone rang. She stopped drying her hair and looked over at the computer at her desk.

"Frisco, put the caller on the monitor," she said.

"Yes Ma'am," replied the AI. AI's managing computer tasks was a relatively new feature. It made things easier since the AI were programmed. to be more like humans than computers. The best part was that AI could be customized to their owner's taste. She had chosen her AI to look like a wolf. Out of all the creatures in the galaxy, wolves were probably her favorite. There was a quick beep and a screen popped up with Cliff Fittir on it.

"Yo Maria," said Cliff.

"Hey, Cliff. What's up?" Asked Maria. Another screen popped up of Mirage.

"Well you know, since a certain someone isn't on the bridge often we'd thought we'd give you an update," said Mirage.

"While we're doing all the work, there you are taking a shower and relaxing," said Cliff with a smirk on his face.

"I'm not a leader anymore, I'm just here to help with the investigation," said Maria.

"True, but a lot of people still look up to you and respect you as if you were still the head honcho." Maria shook her head.

"I wouldn't say I did a flawless job as the leader of Quark." Maria smirked. "And besides, you fit the part of Captain better than me."

"I wouldn't say he's better, he just has a lot of experience," said Mirage. "And he certainly has quite a few flaws."

"Hey, what does that mean?" Exclaimed Cliff. Mirage and Maria laughed a little bit.

"It's nothing. Anyway Maria, we just wanted to tell you to head over to the conference room. It's time to discuss our plan of action," said Mirage. Maria nodded.

"Okay, I'll be there in a minute." Both screens went blank and Maria went into the closet to find a pair of clothes. Time to get this job over and done with. One step closer to achieving her goal of finding a peaceful place to settle down at.

* * *

Back over at Radiant Garden...

* * *

The group stood around the computer waiting for Tron to unseal the next security barrier. There was a bleep and a transmission started.

"The next barrier is very interesting. It's really strong, I don't think this one will go down easily," said Tron.

"What about using a Keyblade on it?" Suggested King Mickey.

"That might work," responded Tron after a moment or so of thinking.

"Alright, we'll be in there shortly," said Luther as he entered the transportation command. Luther, King Mickey, Donald, and Goofy were all transported into the computer a few seconds later. From there they met up with Tron and went to the I/O tower. Where the disc was floating in the pillar of pale light. King Mickey held out his Keyblade but nothing happened.

"Hmm... that didn't work," said King Mickey.

"Maybe this will require more than one of them Keyblades," suggested Goofy.

"Well I don't see a downside to trying that," said Luther as he summoned the Twilight Horizon. He and King Mickey raised their Keyblades and aimed them at the disc, but once again nothing happened.

"Not even two will break the seal?" Exclaimed Donald with a tone of frustration.

"What kind of program did Aldax use to make this thing so hard to hack? This isn't Sphere Technology," commented Luther.

"Hmm, I wouldn't give up yet." Said King Mickey. Luther looked over.

"What do you mean? Even two Keyblades aren't able to open this lock. So what can we..." started Luther.

"All we need is more Keyblades," said Goofy. King Mickey nodded.

"Exactly. Alex can't help us right now, so that leaves..." King Mickey paused and looked over at Donald and Goofy with a smile.

"Sora!" Exclaimed Donald and Goofy with a tone of happiness. This meant that they could see their old friend again. After being separated for a year, it would be good to have a reunion.

"So it's off to Destiny Islands then?" Asked Luther.

"That's right," replied King Mickey. He looked over at Leon. "We'll be back shortly."

"Alright, see you soon," commented Leon as he waved goodbye. With that, the group left and got into their ship. After leaving Radiant Garden, Luther set a course for Destiny Islands. He had only been there once but he remembered where it was. It was a peaceful world, peaceful and quiet. A world like that is perfect for people who want peace. But after seeing the many worlds and the events of the past two years Luther couldn't help but realize that it was impossible to settle down in a small corner of the Universe and say it is peaceful when it is really not. Only the ignorant could do that. Alex must have realized the same thing some time ago. Their ship shot off into the darkness of space as everyone became lost deep within their thoughts.

* * *

On Destiny Islands...

* * *

"RIKU GET BACK HERE!" Shouted Kairi as she chased after him.

"YEAH! Come back here and say that again to my face!" Shouted Sora as he chased after Riku right next to Kairi. Riku was off in the distance laughing while running. The three of them had been together today and, since he was bored, Riku decided to make a comment about Sora and Kairi's blatant feelings for each other. It really hit the target better than Riku had anticipated. Both of them blushed madly and started chasing after Riku... with Keyblades in hand.

"It'll be a thousand years before you guys can catch me!" Shouted Riku as he jumped onto one of the trees and then onto one of the higher platforms. As his two embarrassed friends neared his location Riku sat down and looked at the scenery. He saw a bucket of rain water from the storm a few days ago. After looking back at Sora and Kairi and then at the bucket Riku smirked. As Sora and Kairi began to climb up the ladder, Riku dumped the contents of the bucket down towards them. There was a splash sound and then a yelp as Sora's grip slipped and he fell off, taking Kairi down with him. Riku was rolling on the upper platform laughing while clutching his gut.

"You two really are a lot of fun to mess around with," said Riku between pauses to catch his breath.

"Riku... someday I swear..." Groaned Sora as he and Kairi got up. Riku was about to say something when he heard a sound higher up. He looked up to see a ship coming in.

"Looks like we have guests," commented Riku.

"That ship... could that be?" Asked Kairi. There was a loud sound and a slight vibration as the ship attempted to land on the beach but crashed nose first instead. The three friends rushed over to the shore to see who had just crash landed onto the island. They stopped dead in their tracks as they saw the people sprawled all over the sand.

"I told you we were coming in too fast," said King Mickey as he rubbed his head.

"I'm not a pilot," protested Luther in his defense.

"You are never touchin' those controls again!" Exclaimed Donald.

"Gawrsh fellas, I don't think now is the right time for this," said Goofy as he pointed over at Sora, Riku, and Kairi.

"Donald! Goofy!" Exclaimed Sora as he ran towards them. Donald and Goofy got up and ran towards Sora. The three of them had a huge group hug. Riku bent down and gave a hug to the small King.

"What brings you all here?" Asked Kairi.

"A request for help," answered Luther. Sora, Donald, and Goofy broke their group hug.

"A request? What can we do for you?" Asked Sora.

"Well..." Started King Mickey. The group then explained to Sora, Riku, and Kairi the current situation. Their shock and worry was very obvious.

"What? The universe is in danger..." Started Sora.

"Of being... destroyed?" Finished Kairi.

"Is it not possible for this Universe to stay out of danger for more than a year?" Asked Riku with a tone of amusement in his voice.

"And Alex... what the heck is he thinking? He doesn't have to do this alone," said Sora.

"That's the way Alex is. If he believes something is his fault, he will take full responsibility himself to set things right," said Luther. "And he's not alone. He has met up with the others in that Universe."

"The others? You mean that Shion person?" Asked Riku.

"Precisely. But I don't know if they will be able to help Alex in this quest."

"So you need our help with that disc?" Asked Sora.

"Yes, that's why we came to ask for your help," replied King Mickey.

"Very well, Your Majesty. We will help you... with whatever this task is." Riku nodded and folded his arms.

"Yeah, it would be nice to do something different," said Riku.

"Wherever Sora goes, I will go too," said Kairi. Riku smirked and started snickering. Kairi turned slightly red and looked away. King Mickey smiled.

"I knew I could count on you three. Now let's head over to Radiant Garden and get that data unlocked," said King Mickey.

"Wait what about our parents? Shouldn't we tell..." Started Kairi.

"We don't have time for that. We've gotta move," interrupted Sora. Kairi hesitated for a moment and then nodded in acknowledgment. Everyone got into the Gummi Ship and began to fly off towards Radiant Garden.

* * *

Switching to Alex...

* * *

I woke up lying on dirt ground with grass patches here and there. I slowly got onto my knees and shook my head as I got up from the ground. I was in a forest of some sort. There was the sound of birds chirping, this seemed just like a regular forest... except for one thing... no two things. The first was that none of my friends were here, meaning I was alone at the moment. And second off... for some strange reason Shion's scent was unusually strong. She must be nearby... or so I thought. But as I looked around, I saw that Shion was nowhere in sight. In fact I didn't see anybody here in this forest.

"Where am I? And where is everyone?" I muttered.

"It took you long enough to wake up," said a familiar voice. I shot around and looked up to see someone I had never expected to see again sitting on a tree branch.

"Axel? No, it can't be. How did you? I saw you fade into..."

"Yes it's me, Axel. Got it memorized?" Asked Axel. He started chuckling. "And are you kidding me? It looks like Nobodies can take a lot of damage before they go down." I paused for a moment and thought. Now their were two members of Organization XIII running around... ones we all thought were dead. With all of this going on, how can one possibly keep up?

"It's good to see you again," I said. Axel jumped off the tree branch and landed. He then walked over towards me.

"Yeah, I guess I could say the same. Journeying with you was actually kind of fun. So where are we?" I shrugged.

"Beat's me. All I know right now is this..." I explained to Axel the current situation. And how I was now looking for Zarathustra in order to save these two Universes from destruction. He seemed interested in this new situation. Not concerned or worried, but interested.

"I see. Sounds like we're all in a pickle." Axel paused and looked up at the sky. "Are you sure it was a good idea to not get help from Sora or someone like that?" Asked Axel. "It sounds like you have bit off more than you can chew."

"This whole situation is my fault. I was the one who put my Universe in danger by opening the door to get back." Axel nodded and folded his arms.

"Yes, that is your fault." I looked down at the ground and sighed. Axel held up his arms and shook them. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, don't start getting all upset and Emo on me." He smirked. "Tell you what, I don't have anything to do so I'll help you out." I smiled.

"Thanks Axel." I looked around at the forest and then back at Axel after a moment or so. "You know, out of all the people I thought were dead but actually aren't, I'm glad to see that you are alive. It's not like when I found out that Xemnas is still alive."

"Well, you know it's a normal thing to have people come..." Axel paused as what I said registered. "Wait a moment. Xemnas is alive? What the hell? Sora didn't take him out?" Exclaimed Axel.

"I thought he did. Sora and Riku told me they saw Xemnas die," I responded. Axel let out a sigh and scratched the back of his head.

"Ah well, if we get an opportunity we'll make sure to correct that mistake."

"You'd fight against Xemnas, your Superior?" Axel gave me the 'no duh' look.

"Of course. I don't like him all that much anyway." He paused for a moment and then continued talking. "So what now? How are we gonna start this little quest?"

"First we have to find out where we are. Next, we locate Shion and the others." I said.

"Alright, then let's get a move on," said Axel. We started walking along the forest path. As we walked I looked around the forest. This place was so peaceful and so quiet. But there was something that made me feel unsettled. There was something about this place that bothered me. It was as if something wasn't right. But I had no idea what. As we walked over a bridge several Nobodies appeared.

"You've got to be kidding!" I exclaimed.

"Looks like they followed you here," said Axel as he summoned his two wheel weapons. As the Nobodies began to approach us two purple cat like creatures jumped out of the bushes.

"Gnosis?" I shook my head. "No... no it's not. It's some weird creature, perhaps an inhabitant of this place." We were surrounded on both sides so Axel took one side and I took the other. I slashed through one of the Nobodies and then another. I took out the last one and focused on the strange purple creature that had appeared. It leaped at me in a quick burst. I rolled to the side and held out my hand. "Blizziga!" A large arrow of ice formed and impaled the creature, killing it. I got up from the ground and looked over at Axel to see that he had finished off his opponents too.

"Well, you two make a good team," said Xemnas' voice. We looked around and then saw a portal of darkness open up on one of the nearby rocks. As the darkness disappeared we could see Xemnas sitting there.

"Xemnas!" I exclaimed.

"So, you really did come back," commented Axel as he glared at his former Superior. Xemnas grinned that signature grin of his.

"But of course I did. I cannot be defeated so easily," said Xemnas. "And it's good to see the two of you work together so well. You will make fine additions to my new Organization."

"We're not joining!" I shouted. Xemnas sighed and folded his arms.

"You are truly stubborn. A time will come when you realize that everything you are fighting for has been for nothing. When that time does come you will have nowhere to go, your only choice will be to join if you don't want your existence to be meaningless." With that, Xemnas disappeared into a portal of darkness.

"Don't let what he said bother you. He's just trying to shake you up," said Axel as he put a hand on my shoulder. I looked over at him and simply nodded.

"Yeah I know. Xemnas can talk all he wants," I said. We continued walking until I picked up a scent. This scent was unusual, it was like that scent at Rennes le Château.

"Do you sense it too?" Asked Axel. I nodded.

"Yeah, someone is up ahead." We quickly rushed towards the hill. As we got over the top we saw what the source of the scent was. As I looked upon the source I gasped. "KOS-MOS!" I shouted. Propped against a tree was KOS-MOS. I saw the damage that T-elos had inflicted on her. Her outfit was badly torn and one of her arms were missing. I rushed towards her and kneeled at her side to get a closer look. Her eyes were open... but they were not the usual red. They were blue. At first I feared the worst, but then her deep sapphire eyes shifted towards me. KOS-MOS recognized who she was looking at. And then for some reason she looked sad. "KOS-MOS..." With her remaining hand she slowly raised it in a jerky motion towards me. Her hand touched my face and it stayed there. It looked as if she was trying to say something but couldn't. "Don't worry, I will find a way to repair you. I can't bear to see Shion's face when she finds out the condition you are in."

"T-elos did that to KOS-MOS? Talk about brutal with a capital 'B'. I'm surprised she's still alive." Said Axel as he walked towards me. I looked back at him.

"It's a miracle," I responded. I picked KOS-MOS up and slung her across my back. She was surprisingly heavy, but I could manage this amount of weight. I guess her unusual amount of weight is because of the fact that she's 100 machine. After doing so I looked over at Axel. "Come on, we've got to move," I said. We continued walking.

"So how are we going to repair her?" Asked Axel.

"Find Allen, he will be able to help fix her up. Professor could probably lend a hand too," I replied.

"There's something strange about her." I looked over at Axel with a look of slight surprise.

"You noticed too?" He nodded.

"Yeah, there is something different about KOS-MOS. She has red eyes... but for some reason they are blue now. And now she has a scent. If she is really a machine..." I nodded, I knew what Axel was talking about.

"Then she wouldn't have a scent. But she does. Which leads to one simple conclusion..." I continued.

"She's got a heart somehow, someway," finished Axel.

"In any case we'd better hurry." We continued along the forest path. This path lead us all over the place. From patches of trees, to clearings, and to hills. Speaking of hills as we got to the top of one of these said hills I saw something in the background. There was a large skyscraper in the distance. It had two large horn like things protruding from the top.

"What is that?" Asked Axel.

"Your guess is as good as mine," I replied as I kept on walking. We had to find the Elsa and fast. Without my powers of darkness this would be very hard. I looked over at Axel. "Axel, could you open a portal to the Elsa?" Axel smirked.

"Of course, I was wondering when you would ask." Axel held out his hand and nothing happened. "What?" He looked at his hand and then tried again. "That's weird."

"Why won't it work?" I asked.

"Who knows? This only happened once when..." Started Axel.

"We were in this Universe for the first time when it was still closed off," I finished.

"Which means that there is no corridors of darkness to travel with. We have a problem."

"Shit, if we don't hurry KOS-MOS will..." I started.

"But hey, look on the bright side. We can still track scents." I nodded and let out a sigh. What Axel said lessened my worry, but KOS-MOS was still on the border line. Her scent was starting to fade which probably wasn't a good thing. I'm not familiar with telling how close an android is to death's door. We hurried onwards till we reached a... church? "What is a church doing out in the middle of nowhere?" Asked Axel.

"I have no idea. But it sure looks old," I replied. I sniffed the air as I detected a familiar scent. "Shion... she's in there."

"Then we had better not go in there while you have KOS-MOS on your back, it's better that she not find out," said Axel. We started to move onward when the door opened. And I let out a sigh.

"Busted."

"Who are you people?" Asked a small voice. I shot around and saw a small girl with long brown hair and green eyes. She wore a white dress and white shoes to match with it. This scent... that's Shion's. But why does this girl have... wait a minute. Could that mean that? No, that's not possible... is it?

"Um uh..." I started.

"We are uh..." Axel rubbed the back of his head, looked around, and then shot his attention back over to the little girl. "Mercenaries!" Exclaimed Axel. I smiled sheepishly and nodded.

"Y-yeah! We-we're Mercenaries! We're the... best of the best. Yeah we are." I stated.

"Mercenaries?" Asked another voice. A woman walked out of the main entrance. She had yellow eyes and white hair. She wore a strange dress... judging by her appearance she was most likely a Realian. Wait a minute... I think I've seen this person before... but where? "It's not often that Mercenaries come by here. Are you lost?" She asked.

"No we're not lost at all." I responded. The little Shion looked at KOS-MOS and then looked back at me.

"Is the person on your back a Mercenary too?" Asked little Shion.

"Yeah, we are a traveling trio. This girl is this guy's girlfriend," said Axel. I mentally counted to ten. Don't freak out, that will shatter our story entirely. I'll give him a scolding later.

"Y-yeah. She is my girlfriend. She got tired so I told her she could rest while I carried her." I said slowly.

"I see, it's good to see a couple looking out for each other. You two look like a perfect match," said the woman. Once again I mentally counted to ten... no twenty this time. A half breed Nobody who wields a Keyblade and an emotionless Android that is designed to destroy stuff... REAL great combination there.

"Are you looking for that green ship?" Asked the little Shion.

"_Green ship... could it be?" _I asked in my thoughts.

"Yeah, the guys on the Green Ship hired us. Some of their crew members are walking around in the nearby area. We said we'd meet up later on the ship. Where is the ship anyway?"

"It's at the eastern cave. Take the path east and you'll go through the mines and that is where you will find the cave."

"Alright, we'll tell them we saw you pass by," said the woman. I nodded.

"Thanks. Alright, see you later!" I said as I waved and the two of us walked off. As we got out of hearing range I looked over at Axel. "KOS-MOS... my girlfriend...? What made you think of that?" Axel smirked.

"Come on, why else would she be riding on your back? If we say she is sick or injured they will try to help her. Which may cause some problems." Axel lowered his head and snickered. "Besides, a girl that would rather ride on your back instead of mine most clearly have feelings for you."

"Shut... up..." I said slowly. "KOS-MOS is pure machine, how could a relationship like that work?" Axel started chuckling again.

"Calm down, I was kidding."

"By the way, did you notice that the little girl had Shion's scent and sort of sounded like her?" I asked. Axel nodded.

"Of course I noticed. I'd bet the little girl is Shion... a younger Shion."

"A young Shion... there are no corridors of darkness... Which means that logically... we must be..."

"In the past," finished Axel and I at the same time. There was a pause and then... "WHAAAAAAAAT?"

"How the hell did we get into the past? Isn't time travel theoretically impossible, since there's not an actual flow or current of time?" I exclaimed.

"I don't know. Do I look like an expert on time travel to you?" Asked Axel. I let out a sigh.

"It doesn't matter. We HAVE to get KOS-MOS to the Elsa and fast." We continued along the east path until we came to the entrance of the mines. As we arrived we saw two soldiers in purple outfits... wait a moment I've seen this outfit before. They were standing in front of the entrance to the mines. That was the outfit those Ormus soldiers wore. We continued walking till we were stopped by one of the guards.

"Stop. You can't pass through here," said the guard.

"And why not?" Asked Axel.

"We are currently carrying out an investigation of a strange ship that landed nearby. No one else is allowed in until the investigation is complete."

"But we have to go through there!" I exclaimed. The guard pulled out his gun.

"To bad, so sad, now get the hell out of here." I glared at the guard.

"We must get through. Or else, she will..." Axel summoned his weapons.

"It's no use Alex. We're gonna have to deal with them the hard way," said Axel. I focused on summoning the Dark Horizon and it appeared in mid-air. I charged towards the guard we had talked to. The Keyblade started flying around me, it spun around and struck the guard several times knocking him out. Axel had taken care of the other guard as well.

"Are you people insane?" Exclaimed a voice. We looked over at the nearby building and saw an old man with a long beard standing there with a young girl that had brown hair. "U-TIC will be pissed if they discover that they got attacked by two strange people."

"I don't care! They can send all the people they want, one of my comrades is nearing death's door as we speak! I don't have time to just sit and wait!" Axel and I started running towards the entrance of the mine. As I looked away I swore that the girl's face had the look of someone who was inspired... why do I get the feeling that I've started an avalanche or something like that? We ran through the mines and eventually came to a clearing. We could see the forest and the large skyscraper from here. Ahead was the entrance to a cave.

"This must be it," said Axel. I didn't hesitate to wonder if the ship ahead was really the Elsa or not. With a friend's life in danger I had to keep going. KOS-MOS' scent was fading fast. As we entered the cave we both let out a sigh of relief. It was the Elsa here in this cavern. We ran through the air lock and into the Elsa. Axel looked around at the Elsa. "This place hasn't changed a bit."

"It's only been a year, I doubt ships change that much." We moved onwards to the bridge. In there was Allen, Scott, Professor, Captain Matthews, Tony, and Hammer. As we came in they all looked over.

"Hey, it's good to see your alright Alex," said Captain Matthews. He looked over at Axel. "Aren't you the guy who was traveling with Alex last year?"

"Yup. The name's Axel. Got it..."

"Yes I remember what your name is."

"And we picked up an extra passenger." I said.

"Who was more than happy to ride on your..." Started Axel.

"Shut... up... I thought that we'd never speak of that again," I groaned. Axel smirked and folded his arms.

"We never agreed on such a thing. Besides, it's fun watching you freak out about this." Allen saw who I was carrying and gasped.

"KOS-MOS!" He exclaimed as he ran over. "We need to set up a maintenance room."

"We could use the large room in the Hangar," added Professor as he walked out the door followed by Scott. He looked back at us. "Come on you! Get moving!" We followed the Professor to the lower level where the Hangar was. There was a room filled with all sorts of gizmos and gadgets. In there was some various equipment that looked like it belonged to KOS-MOS. Allen, Scott, and the Professor set up the maintenance bed.

"Alright, her bed is ready. Bring her over," said Scott. I lowered KOS-MOS off my back and brought her over in my arms. To make sure that I didn't cause any additional damage I lowered her down gently. Before I walked away I looked at her face one more time. The blue eyes were gone, replaced by blank red eyes that starred off into the distance. I closed her eye lids and stepped back. The maintenance bed closed. Now all we could do was hope. A few screens popped up as Allen started typing commands in. He gasped as he saw the damage report.

"How bad is it?" Asked Axel. Allen stepped aside without saying a word so we could see what it said. I looked at the chart and then looked back at Allen.

"That is a lot of damage. But can't she be fixed?" I asked. Allen shook his head.

"No, that's not the problem. If it was just her frame that was damaged we could easily repair that. But..." He pointed to diagram. "This is her core... the black box components that allow her to function. This was badly damaged... and there was only one person who knew how to fix it. But he's dead. KOS-MOS is never going to awaken again." I lowered my head.

"No..." I said. I looked back at the maintenance bed. "When we found her... she was still active... well just barely. How could we have failed?" Axel put a hand on my shoulder.

"Look, there was nothing we could have done."

"The Chief isn't going to like this when she finds out the situation," said Allen as he lowered his head sadly. The five of us left the room and headed back to the bridge. After awhile the door opened again and there stood Shion, Jr, Jin, MOMO, Ziggy, and chaos.

"Captain! You're all okay!" Said Shion.

"Shion!" Exclaimed Tony and Hammer. The entire group went over to greet the arrivals.

"Hey, glad to see you're alive, too," said Captain Matthews.

"I knew it'd take more than that to do you guys in," said Jr.

"Heh, we're not gonna go that easy." Said Captain Matthews as he folded his arms and put on a proud look.

"Chief! Thank God! I thought I'd never see you again!" Exclaimed Allen happily.

"Allen, it's good to see you are okay as well," said Shion with a smile. She looked over at me. "Are you alright? T-elos did a number on you in that battle."

"Yeah I'm fine. I can take a lot of punishment LONG before I kick the bucket. And I've had worse injuries." Shion acknowledged what I said with a nod and looked over at Axel.

"Axel? What are you doing here?"

"Beat's me. I just suddenly woke up here." Shion looked around the room as if looking for someone. I didn't need to know who she was looking for. I already knew.

"Hey, where's KOS-MOS? Does anyone know where she is?" Allen looked down at the ground and I let out a sigh.

"Chief, a-about KOS-MOS." Said Allen slowly while his head was still down. I could tell that he didn't want to say what had happened. Then again, I can't blame him. KOS-MOS is really important to Shion.

"We recovered the E.S. craft," said the Professor. He looked over at me. "And Alex found KOS-MOS. But there was nothing we could do."

"What? What do you mean?" Asked Shion.

"It's best you see for yourself," replied the Professor. He looked over at Allen. "Assistant#2, show her the way." Allen hesitated for a moment but the he walked towards the door.

"Chief, this way." He said. They walked off down toward's KOS-MOS' maintenance room. After a minute or two I walked towards the door. "I'm gonna go get some shut eye," I said.

"And I'm headin' over to the lounge," said Axel. We went off in our separate directions. I went into the 'male cabin' as it's called and I sat at the desk. I pulled out some paper and started writing.

_We rescued KOS-MOS with little trouble. After that we headed to the hyper sphere in which the Elsa was trapped in. With the help of KOS-MOS we were able to break through it. Shortly afterwards was when we found out that something on the landmass was preventing the Elsa from leaving. So we started an expedition of the landmass. _

_The Expedition was nothing short of a failure. We were ambushed by two Testaments, my ship got destroyed, and it only get's better from there. We arrived at a tomb some time later. But it was a dead end so we began to move on... but that was when we were attacked by T-elos and the Red Testament. We fought T-elos but her power was too great and in the end KOS-MOS decided to hold T-elos off while we would try to escape. I offered to help KOS-MOS... which was the worst mistake I have made in awhile. The fight was completely one sided, after fighting with the Red Testament for a few seconds I attacked T-elos. In a second I was on the ground with a heavily damaged rib cage. The Red Testament ordered T-elos to kill me. She aimed this strange red sphere weapon at me and fired. At the last second KOS-MOS got in the way to protect me and everyone else from that attack. KOS-MOS was badly damaged and then something strange happened. A mysterious light radiated from KOS-MOS and we were engulfed by it. _

_The next thing I know I'm in a forest. After some walking I found KOS-MOS. She was badly damaged. But as I looked upon her face I noticed that she was somehow different. I didn't know why, but I could sense there was something within KOS-MOS. I took her with me, and then I found something unusual: a young shion. And not only are there two scents that are exactly the same, but this entire area gives off Shion' s scent. After some thinking, I came to this conclusion: We had all been transferred into the past. I tried to get KOS-MOS back to the Elsa so she could be repaired... but it was too late by the time I got there. According to Allen there was damage to her core and the person who could repair the core is no longer alive. I can't help but feel guilty. If only there was something I could have done to save her._

_-Alex_

I let out a sigh and folded the letter up. I placed it on the desk and went to sleep. I figured I could send it tomorrow... maybe.

* * *

So the group has somehow managed to end up in the past. What will their next move be? Find out in the next chapter, anyway please review. 


	8. We like to call it sabotage

Thanks goes to those who reviewed. (You know who you are) Anyway here it is; the next chapter. I'm sorry it took so long.

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Ocean, Kingdom Hearts, or Xenosaga. Nor do I own the video game series that Alex makes a reference about.

* * *

Chapter 8: We like to call it sabotage

King Mickey, Luther, Donald, Goofy, Sora, Riku, and Kairi all arrived at Radiant Garden. It was a relatively quick trip thanks to warp travel. Warp travel was a feature introduced only 2 years ago. At first it was a relatively uncommon feature in Gummi ships, but now it's a function found in just about every ship in existence. Everyone went to Ansem's Study. As they entered the Computer Room, Leon looked over and smirked.

"It's been awhile," he said.

"How have you been, Leon?" Asked Sora.

"Pretty good, could be better though. With all the worlds in danger once again it's hard to say that things are going good," replied Leon. He looked over at King Mickey. "Do you think this plan will actually work?"

"It's worth a try." The group went into the computer to meet up with Tron a few moments later.

* * *

Wilhelm's Office

* * *

As Wilhelm sat at his desk, the Red Testament appeared. Wilhelm knew that he was coming to bring an update... that he already knew.

"The plan is going smoothly. It's only a matter of time before the awakenings occur," said the Red Testament.

"Good," replied Wilhelm.

"But there is one problem." Wilhelm looked back over at the Red Testament with a look of interest. Not worry or concern, but interest.

"Really? What is the problem?"

"It appears that one of Alex's friends have hacked a terminal linked with one of our private databases. In their possession is a disc with EVERYTHING on it. From journal logs, to data on the Zohar and the Vessels of Anima, and even a record of our plans too."

"If they were to learn what was about to happen they would find a way to pass that information on to him. We can't allow that. Therefore I think it's time we put a road block in their act. Send everybody, including her."

"I understand, we shall stop them from getting that data." With that the Red Testament disappeared.

* * *

In Ansem's computer...

* * *

After meeting up with Sora and the others, Tron lead the group back to the I/O tower. Of course, introductions came first before that. The disc was still in the pillar of light, where they had left it.

"This is the disc?" Asked Sora.

"That's right, the info it holds may help Alex in his quest. But there's only one way to find out," said King Mickey.

"Alright, let's take care of this," said Riku as he summoned his Keyblade. "The thought of this entire universe being in danger is not a pleasant one." Sora, Kairi, King Mickey, and Luther summoned their Keyblades as well. They aimed it at the disc... but nothing happened.

* * *

OUTSIDE OF ANSEM'S COMPUTER...

* * *

Leon stood in front of Ansem's Computer. He looked back at the transport device on the back of the wall and let out a sigh. He would like to lend a hand with this task, but someone has to keep watch outside of the computer. Plus, this seemed more like a job for a Keyblade Wielder than anything else. Suddenly an alarm went off. Leon shot around and looked at the Computer. The screen was flashing a message saying: "WARNING! UNKNOWN DETECTED!" Leon brought up another screen with images from all the surveillance cameras. There was a surveillance camera installed in just about every corner of the castle's lower levels. He didn't see anything out of the ordinary... except for Camera 8. It was showing static for some reason. Then again it had been that way for at least a year now. Camera 8 was in the Computer Room in the top right corner. Apparently it had gotten destroyed at some point. No one ever figured out who did it though.

Leon shook the thought of Camera 8 out of his head and continued searching for whatever caused the alarm to go off. That was right about the time he felt something metallic get pressed against the front of his neck.

"Don't move... if you want to live that is," said a cold female voice.

"Coming up from behind without me noticing, aren't we a sneaky intruder?" Asked Leon with a smirk.

"Intruder? Hardly. We're just here to take care of a little business," said another voice.

"We can't let them get the data. The failsafe is bad enough to worry about, rats are more unnecessary stress," said another voice.

"The failsafe?" Asked Leon. Suddenly the women hit Leon in the back of the head, knocking him out.

"Shut up and take a nap."

* * *

INSIDE ANSEM'S COMPUTER

* * *

"Huh?" Exclaimed Sora. He looked over at King Mickey with a look of confusion. "Why isn't it working?" King Mickey didn't reply at first, he was as confused as Sora and everyone else.

"You're guess is as good as mine," replied King Mickey.

"A simple question," said a voice. Suddenly the Red, Blue, Black, and White Testaments appeared.

"That data does not belong in the hands of fools like you," said the Blue Testament.

"What? Who do you think you are coming here like this!" Exclaimed Sora.

"Sora, the great Keyblade Wielder. What an honor to meet such a great 'hero'," said the Red Testament with a tone of mockery.

"You folks know Sora?" Asked Goofy.

"But of course do, we've been observing all that has been going on in this Universe," said the White Testament.

"But why though? What are you trying to accomplish?" Demanded King Mickey.

"Simple, we've been preparing for these days for a long time," said the Red Testament. "That data... cannot fall into your hands." The four Testaments held their hands up and they started glowing. The disc began to glow and then there was an explosion.

"NO!" Exclaimed Luther. He looked over at the Testaments and glared. "You bastards..."

"That disc had important data on it, you'll pay for that." Said Tron with a tone of anger in his voice.

"You are gonna answer to us!" Exclaimed Donald. Sora ran towards the Testaments with his Keyblade ready to strike. Just as he reached striking distance he got kicked across the room. A few seconds later, Sora slowly got up and shook his head. Everyone looked to see T-elos standing in front of the Testaments. All the Testaments disappeared except for the red one. She looked over at Sora and smirked.

"What the hell was that? Surely a great Keyblade Master can do better than that," taunted T-elos. Sora glared at her and started getting up.

"Shut up!" He exclaimed with a tone of anger.

"But don't feel bad, he lasted only a few seconds more than you. Only he had a lot of broken bones, you don't."

"He?" Asked Kairi. T-elos looked over at her and nodded.

"Yes, Princess. He being Reuel, better known as Alex." Luther looked up in shock as he heard Alex's name.

"What?" He pointed the Twilight Horizon at T-elos. "What did you do to him?" He shouted with a tone of anger.

"Nothing, I just wounded him a bit. We need him alive... no... I need him alive. It is necessary for my awakening."

"It's good to know that Alex is alive. But, I don't care what your plans are." Said Riku as he got ready to fight. "And you are starting to bug me." Sora was about to attack again when the Red Testament snapped his fingers. A bolt of red energy went flying and hit Sora. Sora let out a yelp of pain as he was thrown back.

"Stay down," said the Red Testament.

"Sora!" Exclaimed Kairi as she ran over to him. Riku gave T-elos and the Red Testament a death glare.

"That's it! Now you've crossed the line!" Exclaimed Riku as he charged towards T-elos. Donald and Goofy quickly did the same, followed by King Mickey. Tron and Luther looked over at each other, nodded, and ran towards T-elos as well.

"Looks like fun," said T-elos with a smirk. Riku slashed at her, she dodged the attack and whipped out her trusty vibro-blade. She swung it at Riku. He blocked and then quickly countered with an attack of his own. T-elos jumped back and pulled out her gun. She fired several shots at Riku only to have them blocked. But then she got hit by an ice projectile. Donald stood their with a smirk on his face.

"How do you like that, you freak!" Exclaimed Donald! Goofy charged towards T-elos. He rammed his shield at her face. T-elos glared and kicked the shield back, throwing Goofy across the room. She quickly rushed towards Donald. "REFLECTAGA!" Shouted Donald. T-elos' attack crashed into the barrier. A second later there was an explosion and T-elos was thrown back. T-elos was about to attack again when King Mickey flew down from the air and attacked T-elos. He smacked her several times with the Keyblade before she was able to launch a counter attack. King Mickey jumped, landed on T-elos' right arm, and back flipped while using her to dodge her counter attack. Riku changed targets and went after the Red Testament. In a burst of fire the Red Testament pulled out a strange weapon that was a combination of a sword and an axe. It looked like some sort of demonic weapon. As Riku struck at the Red Testament, his enemy blocked it and then slashed at Riku. Riku blocked and slashed again, but the Red Testament teleported away from the attack.

He appeared back up in the air and shot a blast of energy at Riku. Riku held a defensive position and deflected the oncoming attack. The Red Testament landed on the ground. He dismissed his weapon and folded his arms.

"Well, well, it is certain that a Keyblade Wielder will not go down easily," said the Red Testament.

"Don't you ever shut up?" Exclaimed Riku as he charged towards the Red Testament. As he arrived, Riku crashed into a barrier of invisible energy and was thrown back. He landed right where Kairi and Sora were. After a second or two Riku let out a grunt and jumped back up on his feet in one swift movement.

"But, as long as I have this power no one can stop me."

"Hey, what the hell is taking you two so long?" Asked a voice. The Red Testament looked up.

"What is it? You seem rather impatient."

"The head honcho's saying we've spent enough time here." This seemed to hit a nerve in the Red Testament. He looked over at T-elos. "It's time to go." T-elos nodded. With that the two of them disappeared. Riku dismissed his Keyblade and looked over at Sora.

"Are you alright?" He asked. Sora nodded and got up from the ground. Kairi stood up as well, making sure that Sora could stand up on his own. Tron walked over to the nearby terminal and activated it to check the condition of the disc.

"Not good..." He looked over at Luther. "Take a look at this, Luther," he said. Luther walked over to the terminal. He read the results and clenched his teeth.

"Damn, those guys really didn't want us to find out what we are dealing with," he added.

"What's wrong?" Asked King Mickey. Luther looked over at the small king.

"They screwed this disc over, making it impossible to access the data." King Mickey let out a sigh of disappointment.

"What?" Exclaimed Sora, Donald, and Goofy at the same time.

"You gotta be kidding me! We were so close to finding out what was on that disc!" Exclaimed Sora. Donald wasn't happy either, he was jumping up and down screaming gibberish.

"Is there anything we can do to fix this problem?" Asked King Mickey.

"Yes, you guys can activate the disc repair program in the User World," Said Tron.

"How long would it take?" Asked Luther. Tron went back over to the terminal and accessed the disc's stats.

"Damage is critical. I'd say, in User Time, a week or so."

"What? A week? Do we have that kind of time?" Asked Riku.

"I don't know, but we'll have to try," responded Luther.

"I'll divert more power to that process, hopefully that will make it go a little faster," said Tron.

"Alright, thanks Tron!" Said Sora. Everyone, except Tron, transported to the User World. There they found Leon on the ground. "Leon!" Sora and Co ran over to him. He let out a groan and got up.

"Welcome back," he said.

"What happened?" Asked King Mickey.

"Last thing I remember is that a bunch of weird voices came out of nowhere and then some woman knocked me out."

"That woman was probably that 'T-elos' person," said King Mickey.

"I'm going to start work on the disc repair," stated Luther as he accessed the program.

"Wait what happened to the disc?" Asked Leon with a look of confusion.

"I'll explain," said King Mickey. As Luther activated the program, King Mickey explained the situation to Leon.

* * *

SWITCHING BACK TO ALEX

* * *

During my nap I had another one of those weird dreams. I had visions of back when we rescued KOS-MOS from the CAT Facility. From there I saw us landing on the floating land mass, the fight with T-elos, and finding KOS-MOS in the forest. But as I saw these events occur, every now and then the vision would pause, blur, and then rewind a little bit and continue playing. Sometimes this would happen several times over.

I woke up and looked around the room. There wasn't a sound in the Guy's Cabin, everyone else must be in another room. I got up from my bed and let out a yawn. The fact that I kept on having these dreams did concern me a little bit, but I quickly pushed those thoughts out of my head. This wasn't the time to be worrying about such small details, no I had to focus on what I have to attend to now. And first I need to see what everyone's up to. As I walked out of the Guy's Cabin I saw the door to the Lounge open up and Axel came out. He looked over at me and smirked.

"Well, did you enjoy yourself sleepyhead?" He asked. I nodded and took a few steps towards him.

"Yea, I feel well rested now," I replied. Well I could use a little more sleep, but it would be best to find out if anything else has come up. While taking care of some small business.

"Nobodies don't require sleep you know. Even though it's enjoyable," commented Axel.

"I know that, but even so I am only half Nobody." I added. Axel nodded in acknowledgment.

"True." Axel paused for a moment, and then he started to walk off in the opposite direction. "Dinner is currently being cooked up, so don't go too far away," said Axel as he put a hand on my left shoulder. He continued walking, leaving me alone in the hallway... well excluding the maintenance robots who would bounce around and chatter periodically. I looked back at the elevator to the basement. Letting out a sigh I got into the elevator and went down to the first basement. From there I went to the Hangar, where KOS-MOS' Maintenance Room was. I placed my hand on the maintenance bed that KOS-MOS was inside of.

"KOS-MOS... I owe you one. You saved my life and everyone else's... even though it did this to you. If only you'd wake up..." I said as I lowered my head and looked away from the device. That attack was meant to end my life, but she took the damage for me. I let out a sigh and then raised my head up. "But, there's nothing that can be done right now. We have to find a way out of the past first." I left the maintenance room and instead of going up to the next floor I walked into Professor's Lab... well mainly because a monitor caught my eye. On the screen was a picture of a giant robot wielding a mechanical sword. It didn't look like any type of Mobile Weapon I had ever seen. Whatever it was, it wasn't an AWMS, AGWS, or ES. It was something else. "What's that?" I asked to myself.

"That is Erde Kaiser, my finest creation!" Said Professor. I jumped nearly ten feet into the air in shock. I wasn't expecting the Professor to just suddenly appear.

"Oh, Professor! When did you come in here?" I asked. The seal that had been placed on me at the floating landmass had not only taken away my ability to open corridors of Darkness, it also reduced my abilities somewhat. Sometimes I wouldn't be able to pick up someone's scent even if they were right next to me.

"I came in just a second ago while you were gaping at Erde Kaiser," he replied.

"So what exactly is Erde Kaiser?" I asked. This seemed to hit a nerve in Professor.

"Bah, ignorant child! What does it look like?" He exclaimed with a huff. I looked at Erde Kaiser again.

"It... looks like a giant robot." In the blink of an eye, Professor pulled out a wrench and threw it at me.

"Ow!" I exclaimed as the wrench made contact with the back of my head.

"It's not just a giant robot! It's a SUPER, POWERFUL, MAGNIFICENT, MAJESTIC, MIGHTY, GREAT, ULTIMATE, GIANT ROBOT!" Exclaimed Professor.

"_Try saying that 5 times fast," _said the Dark Horizon in my mind. I let out a mental chuckle, to prevent Professor from going into an hour long rant. All of a sudden Scott came walking in. Scott was Professor's Assistant. He had short blonde hair and blue eyes. He wore a black shirt and white pants, over his shirt was a blue coat with the phrase: "Robot Academy" on the back.

"Ah there you two are," he said as if he had been looking for us.

"What's up?" I asked.

"I came to let you guys know that dinner is ready," responded Scott.

"What's for dinner?"

"What we usually have whenever Shion is onboard." I smirked, I knew what he was talking about. He was referring to Shion's Curry recipe, one of the best curry dishes in existence. Judging by the smile on Scott's face on the drool coming out of Professor's mouth, they really enjoyed Shion's cooking.

"Then let's not waste another minute!" Said Professor excitedly. We went up to the lounge, which was right next to the kitchen. Everyone was already sitting on the row of booths and waiting for Shion to come in with the large pot of Curry.

"I was starting to think you weren't coming, Alex!" Exclaimed Axel.

"You'd think I'd miss dinner? Not a chance," I stated as I sat down at the table, to my left was chaos and to my right was the last empty seat. Other than that, everyone was here. Jr, MOMO, Ziggy, Jin, Allen, chaos, Scott, Professor, Captain Matthews, Tony, Hammer, Axel, and me.

"Well, this will be the first time in at least a year since I've had this recipe," commented Jin.

"Did she make this recipe all by herself?" Asked Axel.

"No, this recipe comes from a restaurant on Second Miltia called Moby Dicks Café. Shion worked there when she was in High School, and the boss gave her the recipe for the curry dish that the Café specialized in. And I happened to be good friends with the boss as well," explained Jin.

"We'll have to go there sometime," said Axel as he looked over at me.

"Yeah." I paused for a second. "Once we're out of the past that is." Not to mention once I've completed my mission.

"If there is a way to get back." Said Axel. No one said anything for a little while. Finally I spoke up.

"Since we're in the past... does that mean that, if we wanted to, we could change some things?"

"Most likely. But..." Started Jin.

"What is the downside?" Asked Ziggy.

"Something we do in the past could indeed have a major effect on the future... or the present for us. The change could either be good or extremely bad. And if we change the past something might happen to us," explained Jin.

"So how far back are we in time?" I asked.

"15 years, a few days before the Miltian Conflict," Explained MOMO.

"And at what point did the Gnosis come in?" I asked.

"They became a problem15 years ago... when U-TIC's experiments went wrong and the Zohar went out of control," answered Jr.

"_15 years... just before the conflict that would summon the Gnosis. Maybe... if I can stop the experiments that brought the Gnosis into this Universe then my Universe will no longer be in danger. Which means I wouldn't have to hunt down Zarathustra and avoid having to deal with freaks like those Testaments." _After several moments of silence, Jr spoke up again.

"Why do you ask?" Had I not thought of a response to questions like this earlier, I'd be hesitating right about now.

"I was just wondering, I didn't know when they came into the picture. I wasn't sure if this was something fairly recent or if it was something that had been going on for awhile."

"But now the Gnosis Phenomenon is getting even worse, attacks are frequent, almost daily," added chaos. Now this was bad, if the Gnosis Phenomenon is getting worse in this Universe... then my Universe's destruction is approaching faster than I thought. Which means I've got to move. I mean I already knew things were bad, that news report I saw on Fifth Jerusalem made that pretty clear. But each time I heard it only made me realize more and more that time was running short. The door to the Kitchen opened up and Shion walked through, holding a large metal pot.

"Dinner's ready!" She said in a cheerful voice. Though I could tell this was a ruse, she was probably still upset about what happened to KOS-MOS. But I can't blame her, I mean she is essentially the person who built this version of KOS-MOS. And she's grown very close to her too. It's about the same as losing a friend in battle.

"Alright, I'm starving," said Jr. Shion started putting the Curry onto the plates and handing it around the table. After serving everyone she finally got a plate of Curry for herself. She sat down in the large booth and we started eating.

"It's been awhile since I had Curry," I said.

"What do you usually eat?" Asked Shion.

"Whatever provisions I have in my ship, or a local restaurant if the world I'm at has a decent civilization. And sometimes I have a few friends living in the area, so I stay with them for a few days."

"That's your job? To just explore the galaxy?" Asked Jin with a look of surprise.

"Yea, well more or less my real job is to keep the peace. To make sure no group like Organization XIII comes around again. But I really think I should get hazard pay sometimes."

"Is it really that dangerous?" Asked MOMO.

"Sometimes. Like this time where I ended up in an alternative universe in which humans were fighting some alien group called the Covenant... I think. It wouldn't have been so bad if it hadn't been for that artificial ring world loaded to the brim with parasites that make you think you are in a horror movie that I just happened to crash onto. That was not a very fun trip."

"_Indeed, I still remember all the stupid mistakes you made. Especially the time with that sticky plasma grenade." _Said the Dark Horizon in my thoughts.

"_Look, I already told you that I didn't know it would stick. If I had known that I wouldn't have put it on that combat form," _I responded.

"If it was someone else telling these stories I wouldn't believe them," commented Ziggy.

"But the time you spent exploring the galaxy must not have been all bad. Surely you do have some good memories," stated Shion. I nodded.

"Yea, of course! I saw all sorts of amazing things. If there was a book called the 101 wonders of the Galaxy, I'd have single handedly seem almost every single one of them. And then some."

"What about the Heartless? Or the occasional Nobody?" Asked Axel.

"The Heartless are always pests. But after awhile I got used to dealing with them. As long as it isn't one of the really big ones." So we talked for awhile, just about various things. I learned a bit more about Shion and the others. As well as info about an incident known as the 'Gnosis Terrorism', an event that occurred at least 6 months ago. Later that evening, I went to bed to get some sleep.

As I closed my eyes I somehow ended up on that patch of barren wasteland where all the keyblades were and also where I found the Dark Horizon. I walked around and saw that a large pillar of earth was now in the middle of this strange place. There were dark clouds covering the sky, and it looked as if a large battle had just taken place. Keyblades were scattered all over the place.

"What in the hell happened here?" I asked. I looked up at the large pillars of rock that had created a strange formation. "And why is this place feel so familiar?"

"I feel like I've been here before," said the Dark Horizon. I walked towards the base of the lowest platform of this structure created by the pillars of rock and earth. I noticed something on the ground there. Out of curiosity, I approached the object and picked it up. It was the remains of a metal helmet from some sort of suit of armor. It was a very nice looking helmet, minus the fact that it was almost completely destroyed. There were two large parts sticking out like horns. The colors consisted of red, brown, and gold. The area where the mouth would be was completely gone and there were cracks all over the helmet. I was afraid it would fall apart in my hands. As I held the helmet, a slow down pour of rain started. As I looked at the helmet I felt a feeling of sadness. It was as if I knew the owner of the helmet. All of a sudden I felt rage, anger, and the desire for revenge. I shot my head up in the direction of the top of this large formation. I started jumping and climbing to get to the top. As I got to the top I looked around, as if looking for someone. But no one was there. I looked up towards the sky, as rain landed on my face I clenched my teeth. I took a deep breath and yelled at the top of my lungs.

"XEHANORT!!!!!!" All of a sudden the feelings of anger vanished. "W-what? What did I just say that for?"

"I have no idea," said the Dark Horizon. "Quite frankly, I think you've finally lost it." I smirked.

"Yea you are probably right." I jumped from platform to platform down towards the ground. "Alright, now we just have to find out how to get out of this place. Which way should we..." I stopped as a sudden gust of wind blew up a miniature tornado of dirt. As the wind cleared, a guy in armor kneeling with a keyblade in front of him appeared. This Keyblade was unlike anything I had ever seen before. The blade was golden and had teeth on both sides of the blade. The tip had a distinguishable roundish shape to it. The handle of the blade was light blue and the keyblade itself looked very old. But that wasn't what I was looking at. The wielder of the Keyblade was a truly impressive person. They wore armor that consisted exactly of the colors from the remains of that helmet that I found. He even wore that same helmet, only it looked like it was brand new. To compliment the armor the man wore a cape that was gold on the outside and black on the inside. In this armor, this guy looked intimidating as hell. Not someone I would want to piss off.

"_Do me a favor and don't piss this guy off,"_ said the Dark Horizon in my thoughts. I took a step towards the guy. He made no movement at all. It was as if he was a statue.

"Good evening sir," I said. There was no reply. "Umm... not to bad a day... despite the fact that it's... raining..." I said slowly. But there was still no reply. As I looked at the guy I couldn't help but feel as if I knew him somehow. "Did we meet somewhere before?"

"_**Indeed we have," **_said a sudden voice. It didn't seem to be coming from the guy in armor but I felt as if that was his voice. _**"You were with us on that day... before..." **_There was a pause as he stopped talking. _**"With Aqua, with Ven, and with me. We were... but then... you were..." **_

"_When will this guy finish a sentence and stop trailing off?" _I asked in my thoughts.

"_**I see you survived the war. I am glad to see you again, Reuel." **_I summoned the Dark Horizon.

"What is with this Reuel stuff? Why do people keep calling me that?" I demanded.

" _**You don't remember?" **_There was a pause. _**"No, it's not that you forgot because of the decay of time. It's because of what happened with..." **_There was another pause, this one was longer.

"What happened with... what? What are you talking about?"

"_**Then it looks like I must re-teach you everything." **_The man slowly rose his head up. Then he got up from the ground and pulled the Keyblade out of the ground. _**"We do not have much time, Reuel." **_Judging by this guys actions I knew that he intended to fight me. So I did the only thing I could do. I summoned the Dark Horizon and I got ready to fight.

"You can't be serious. This guy looks insanely powerful!" Exclaimed the Dark Horizon.

"I don't think we have much choice." I charged towards this mysterious foe. As I arrived I brought my Keyblade down towards him. In the blink of an eye, he had raised up his Keyblade to block it and was already throwing an attack back at me. I barely had any time to block his attack. Realizing that this guy might be a bit too hard to take down with a direct approach, I back flipped away from him. I held out my hand. "Blizziga!" A large chunk of ice appeared and shot towards the guy. He got his Keyblade ready and slashed the large projectile in half with one swift stroke. I let out a whistle. "He sure isn't the average Keyblade user." I held up my left hand next to my mouth and shouted. "Hey, what's your name?"

"_**You truly have forgotten everything. No worries, it will come back in time. As for my name... it's... Terra." **_Responded the mysterious Keyblade Wielder. Suddenly Terra threw his Keyblade up into the air. There was a pop sound as the Keyblade formed into... a flying vehicle? It looked like a motorcycle without wheels and was powered by some sort of rocket. He jumped onto this odd contraption and within a second he was speeding towards me. I rolled out of the way to avoid getting splattered by this guys vehicle. He spun around and came at me again. This time I blocked the strike with my the Dark Horizon. I repeated this process multiple times as Terra came around again and again.

But as the fight continued I began to realize one thing: it was becoming harder and harder to keep up with Terra. Almost impossible. He was just too fast and too strong. Maybe I should ask him if he wants to help fight off those annoying Testaments and T-elos. At point I managed to break Terra's guard and I slashed at his unprotected body. The strike managed to slightly damage the front of his chest plate. But Terra didn't flinch, it was as if the attack hadn't hit him at all.

"_I don't understand. That strike had enough power to take out a medium size heartless. Why did it do so little?" _Exclaimed the Dark Horizon.

"_So it's not my fault this time?" _I asked the Dark Horizon.

"_No I think part of it is that you suck." _Were I not in the middle of a fight I probably would have slumped in disappointment.

"_I should have known that you would bring that up." _Terra looked down at the area where I hit him. He looked back up without showing even a small sign of reaction. Instead he threw his keyblade up into the air. There was a pop as the Keyblade changed shape again. This time he held it up on his right shoulder and clutched a knob that stuck out of the body. "What the hell is that?" I muttered. Suddenly a formation of light blue lights appeared at the tip of the Keyblade in the form of a spinning disc. It started to become faster and faster until I couldn't keep up with it, it was like the blades of a helicopter after they start spinning fast enough. "The way he's holding that thing..." That's when it finally hit me. "Oh shit." He was using that thing like a rocket launcher. Only he fired a large blue sphere of energy and not a rocket. I rolled to the side as the large sphere hit the ground where I had been standing a few seconds ago. There was a massive explosion that filled the air with smoke and dust. As I began to get back up on my feet I saw Terra flying right through the smoke and towards me with his keyblade ready. In the blink of an eye he unleashed a fury of attacks. They were so fast that I couldn't even see them... so fast that I couldn't block them. I went flying into the wall of the lowest rock platform, and fell to the ground. I got back up onto my knees but when I looked up I saw that Terra had already moved out of a fighting stance and was walking towards me.

"_**I see you have not fully awakened yet." **_He said as held out a hand. I grabbed his hand and he pulled me up onto my feet. _**"I guess it will take a little more time." **_We both sat down on the rock platform and stuck our keyblades into the ground.

"If I really do have untapped power within me... If I really haven't awakened yet... I wish it would happen soon. I need that power. I need it to succeed in this quest. Those Testaments... and T-elos... I can't beat them as I am now." I said.

"_**It will come in time. Just do what comes natural do you, and always keep an eye out for her. She may appear before you at any point now." **_Assured Terra as he looked at me. I gave him a confused look.

"She? Who are you talking about?"

"_**The one who made you what you are today. The one who brought light into Reuel's heart. When she awakens... you will awaken too." **_Terra looked out towards the distance. I did so too and I saw a shadowy figure walking towards us. _**"She cannot reach out to you yet. Nor can she reach out to her yet either. Yes, that girl whose mind is on the verge of closing." **_I let out a sigh of frustration. More mysterious people coming into the picture. This guy was arguably more cryptic than Nephilim. Suddenly there was a flash of light. It began to grow more intense with each passing second. _**"See you later, Reuel." **_Commented Terra as the light covered everything.

I woke upon my bed on the Elsa. After taking a moment to register that I had just woken up from some sort of dream I looked around the room. It was dark and it was almost silent. The only sound in the air was the dull hum of a nearby computer. There was nobody in the room except for a maintenance drone that was standing right next to my bed with a bucket of water. I scrambled up from my bed as I realized what that robot was planning to do with the water.

"I'm awake, I'm awake! You don't have to pour that onto my head, Martini!" I exclaimed. Oddly enough all the maintenance drones on the Elsa were all named after various alcoholic drinks or cocktails. There's even one called Bacardi (Author's Note: For those who don't know what that is, Bacardi is a brand of rum.). I guess that's what happens when the captain of the ship is obsessed with booze. There were two different frames for the drones. The blue ones that had white parts on them here and there and bounced around, the other was a white bunny with a halo of some sort attached to the back of it's head. The first type was more common onboard the Elsa, but I heard that their frame can be changed easily. It didn't affect the AI inside at all. The technology in this Universe may not be as advanced as ours, but they do have a lot of neat things that we don't. Not to mention a lot of the worlds in my Universe are well behind my home world in terms of technology.

"It took you long enough to wake up. Little Master sent me up here to wake you up even if it meant resorting to dumping water on you," said Martini.

"Is it afternoon or something?" I questioned.

"Nope, it's still noon. But everyone has called a meeting together, and they said they wanted you to be there to hear the situation." I acknowledged what Martini said with a simple nod.

"Alright, I'm on my way. So where is the meeting?"

"Why in the gunroom."

"Thanks." With that I left the cabin and headed towards the elevator. From there I went down the 1st basement where the meeting was. As I walked in I heard Jr speak up.

"The Vessels of Anima are gone?" He asked with a tone of shock. I walked in to see that everyone was in there. Shion, Jr, Jin, Ziggy, MOMO, chaos, Axel, and the Professor

"What? How's that possible?" Asked Shion.

"You'd better explain what's going on!" Demanded Jr as he looked over at Professor.

"Like I said, the Vessels of Anima are missing. There's nothing wrong with the crafts themselves, but the power cores have just disappeared," explained the Professor.

"How can that happen?" Asked Jr who seemed rather surprised.

"What caused it?" Added Jin. The professor shrugged and shook his head.

"I have no idea," he said.

"Perhaps it's a negative side-effect caused by our time travel," suggested Allen.

"A... negative side-effect? What do you mean?" I asked as I looked over at him. Before I could get an answer, the Professor spoke up.

"Yes, yes. Speaking of side-effects, things may get even worse."

"What? Even more stuff is gonna go wrong?" Asked Jr with a tone of surprise and possibly worry.

"Well, we're not really supposed to be here in this world. That contradiction is slowly but surely building up latent heat energy. If we let it keep going, it'll almost certainly end in destruction."

"Destruction of what?" The Professor walked over to a terminal and pressed a button. As he turned around to face us a large hologram of Space replaced the walls of the gun room. I felt as if I really was in Space.

"This Universe." There was a pause and then...

"Whaaaaat?" Exclaimed Jr and I. Great, just great. Now this Universe is potentially in danger too. If anymore was added to the: 'to save list' I'd be more than overwhelmed.

"Well, that might be an exaggeration, but it'll at least blow away this region of space. That's how dangerous this latent heat energy thing is." I let out a mental sigh of relief. Part of this Universe was still in danger but not the full thing, I could probably handle at least that and not feel overwhelmed.

"Is there anything we can do?" Asked Ziggy.

"Well, there is something. We may be able to return to our original time if we contain this latent heat energy with a field and interface with the space-time continuum."

"Say what?" Asked Axel as he scratched the back of his head in confusion. What Professor had just said made me blink and tap my right ear to see if I had just heard what Axel had said correctly.

"How in the hell would we interface with the space-time continuum? That isn't possible is it?" I asked.

"Well if the Professor said it could work, then who are we to doubt? Let's get started." Said Jr as he slapped me across the back.

"Let me finish! All I'm saying is that it's theoretically possible. We don't have anything capable of generating a field powerful enough to contain it. There's nothing we can do." Concluded the Professor.

"Shit," I said. If I were able to stop the Gnosis from coming into this Universe, it would fix the problem in my own Universe but I wouldn't be able to get back for at least 14 years. What I would do for those 14 years I have no idea. But then there are other things to worry about. Like: What will happen to use if we change something? Will I be able to change anything at all?

Later that day I sat at the bar. The bartender robot bounced over to me from where it was standing.

"Good afternoon, Alex. What can I get for you today?" He said.

"The usual." I said. The bartender nodded and bounced towards the shelve with my favorite drink. He poured it into a glass and handed it to me. "Thanks."

"No problem." I sat there in silence as I drank slowly. I heard the door open. I looked over and saw Axel walk in.

"Oh, hey Axel."

"Yo," replied Axel as he raised his right hand up in the form of a salute. He walked over and sat down on one of the bar stools. I took a sip of my drink and let out a sigh. "What's up? You look depressed."

"It's just... there's so much I have to do... so much on my shoulders. And yet, I lack the strength to fight and complete my mission." I let out a sigh and took a large sip from my glass. "I almost died in the fight against T-elos. I need to become stronger somehow."

"Strength isn't the only thing that helps you win battles you know," commented Axel. I looked over at him out of curiosity.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"There are other things that help. Like weapons, or equipment, even skill helps. Perhaps you should look into new equipment. That might give you a slight edge. You're a Nobody, Alex. We Nobodies can adapt and in time master any new skill we need." I thought about what Axel said for a moment. In order to become stronger, I need to focus on other things. Just training won't be enough I don't think. That's when I thought of something.

"I think I'll go outside and take a look around. Maybe I'll find something that can help me." I said. I took another sip of my drink. Axel nodded and looked like he was thinking about something.

"I'd recommend finding some sort of battle armor or something. Nobodies can take lots of damage... but considering how much damage you took when fighting T-elos... It might be better if you got an outfit more suitable for combat than what you have." This sounded like a good idea. The Organization XIII outfit had been suitable for fights against the Organization and the Nobodies. But I wasn't facing enemies at that time who could smash in your rib cage with just one stomp. So there was some sense in Axel's argument. I nodded and smirked.

"Yeah... you're right. I think that would help." I finished off my drink and stood up. I looked towards the window of the lounge. All I could see was the cavern that the Elsa was in. I looked back at Axel. "I'm going to go out there and find something I can use."

"Good idea. I'll stay here and get a drink."

"Alright, see ya later Axel." I headed off towards the Elsa's exit.

"Good luck Alex!" Shouted Axel as the doors to the lounge closed behind me. I left the Elsa and headed out towards the rock pathway on the right side of the cave entrance. It lead down towards the main road which would lead to the city.

"_That's a good place to start." _I said in my thoughts. I walked down the path and I began walking along the side of the road. I didn't know how long the road was but a lot of it looked the same. The occasional curve in the road, but mostly straight. There were trees all around me. I guess this had once been all forest until they cleared it to put in this road. I stopped as I came across a vehicle that had bullet holes all over it. The door of the vehicle had been ripped open. There were several dead bodies littered around and inside the vehicle I could see Realian maintenance beds with dead realians inside of them.

"Damn... what happened here?" I asked. I walked towards the vehicle and went inside to take a closer look. Almost immediately I wish I hadn't. There was blood all over the place... not to mention remains of what was once a realian. Whoever did this had some pretty strong weaponry to blow apart a body like that. I shook my head and looked away from the gruesome sight. I saw a cabinet on the side of the right wall. Taking a step towards it, I opened it and found a spare U-TIC soldier outfit. With the purple outfit, black vest, and everything. Even the helmet. I took my bag off my back and put the outfit into it. Inside the same drawer was also other outfits that looked like Researcher Uniforms. But I decided to leave those alone. Maybe someone would have a need for them... assuming anyone else comes by. As I climbed out of the bloody interior of the vehicle I stopped as I heard a voice.

"Taking things from the dead? That's not a very respectable thing to do." I instantly recognized the voice.

"Ah, shit." I whispered under my breath as I looked up at one of the trees. I don't understand, how did she get here? How could she have found us so quickly? Somehow, someway, T-elos had found me. How did she even get into the past anyway? "T-elos..." I said. She jumped down from the tree and began to walk towards me.

"How's your chest?" She asked. I quickly hit the area of my chest where T-elos had stomped me to show that the damage had healed up. "I figured you'd be able to recover quickly but not that fast. I'm impressed, Alex."

"Get to the point! What are you..." I stopped for a moment as something registered in my head. "Wait a minute. You just called me Alex." T-elos nodded and placed a hand on her right hip.

"That's right, I did. Is there a problem with that?" I shook my head.

"No, no, not at all. It's just... you and those Testaments have been calling me Reuel lately so I wasn't expecting to be called Alex again by you people." T-elos smirked.

"Well I think Alex sounds better."

"Well that said, what are you doing here? If you are here to find out where KOS-MOS, I'm not going to tell you where she is!" I exclaimed.

"_Easy Alex, easy! Do you want to get brutally killed, like you almost were last time?" _Asked the Dark Horizon in my thoughts.

"No, I'm not here for KOS-MOS. We know where your ship is, it's just not the right to finish the job." I made a loud 'tch' sound with my mouth.

"Saving us for later like a snack, huh? I feel sick just hearing that." I paused for a moment. "So why are you here then?" T-elos looked around.

"Oh I was just taking a stroll, enjoying the scenery while shooting down birds for target practice."

"Right... I'll play along with that story." I said. I could help but get the feeling that there was something else that T-elos wasn't telling me. But something was odd, very odd. She hadn't attacked me yet, nor did she mention capturing me.

"So what are you doing with that outfit anyway?" Asked T-elos. I looked over at her.

"Well, if you must know. I got this outfit in order to..." T-elos held up her hand and I stopped talking. "What's up?"

"Someone is coming. We'd better hide." She said. I did a double take and blinked a couple of times.

"We? What do you mean we?"

"As in you and I." T-elos jumped up and hid in the trees. "Come on, Alex. We're running out of time!" The sound of someone coming got louder. It sounded like another vehicle was coming. Not wanting to be found by U-TIC soldiers I jumped up into the air and was about to land on the branch when all of a sudden I got caught on a branch and my planned and timed jump got screwed up. As a result I was about to fall down to the ground when all of a sudden T-elos grabbed my arm. "That was a close one." She said with a smirk.

"Indeed it was." I commented. She pulled me up onto the branch she was on. The sound of the coming vehicle stopped and I could hear people getting out. T-elos placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Let's get out of here. They may search the nearby area, and the last thing we need to cause is a commotion. Which is what will happen if we're found." I nodded and we jumped off the branch. We then began to silent creep off deeper into the forest. After awhile we stopped walking. We arrived at a small clearing. There was a small creak flowing in the middle of the clearing. On the right of the creak was a tree trunk that rested on it's side.

"Um... T-elos?" I said. She looked over at me.

"Yes?"

"Why did you help me back there? And why are you letting me tag along? Aren't we supposed to be enemies or something like that." T-elos sighed as if I had asked her what the color of the sky is.

"Simple, we aren't enemies Alex. And besides I need you for my awakening. And also..." There was a pause. She looked down at the ground as if in deep thought but then she shook her head. "Never mind."

"We're not enemies?" I asked with a look of confusion.

"Exactly. You and I are alike, we both express ourselves best in combat. If you were an enemy you wouldn't have survived any of our encounters." I knew T-elos was going to add in a comment like that.

"Well I gotta head out for now, see you later Alex." T-elos was about to jump when I held out my hand.

"W-wait, T-elos." She practically froze in place and looked over at me.

"Yes? What's wrong Alex?"

"Um... is there uh..." I took a deep breath. "Is there any possibility of arranging a meeting instead of these unexpected encounters." T-elos looked surprised at what I had suggested, but then she smirked... no... it looked like... maybe a smile? And her eyes... as I looked into them for some reason they no longer filled me with fear or make me hesitate. Why was that?

"I don't see why not. Alright, we'll meet here tomorrow at 1:00 PM." Said T-elos. I nodded.

"That sounds good to me. See ya then." T-elos quickly put her hand up in the form of a salute.

"Later." With that she jumped up and disappeared above the trees. After a few moments of silence, the Dark Horizon spoke up.

"_MEET her?! Are you out of your fucking mind? You'll be killed for sure!" _Exclaimed the Dark Horizon.

"_It's okay, I don't think she'll kill me. Besides... it'll be nice to see her again." _I paused for a moment. "Did I just say that?"

"_No, you thought it... and I heard it. I think maybe you should get your head checked. I think you might have finally lost it. Socializing with the enemy, you'd better hope Shion and the others don't find out about what just happened or what you asked." _

"They won't find out about this." I said as I began the walk back to the Elsa. "Now if only I could open a corridor of darkness..." I complained as I was walking. As I got back to the Elsa's lounge Axel looked back at me.

"Hey, that was fast. Did you find anything?" He asked.

"More than I bargained for." I replied.

* * *

_So what will happen next? Will our heroes be able to find a way out of the past? Find out in the next chapter. Sorry it took so long to get this one out. Anyway, please review. _


	9. Attack on the Elsa

Thanks goes to all who reviewed! I really appreciate it! Anyway, here's the next chapter. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Ocean 3, Xenosaga, or Kingdom Hearts.

* * *

Chapter 9: Attack on the Elsa

I was down in the Professor's lab showing him the suit and proposing my plan for upgrading it. Naturally, I was going to change the color scheme. It wouldn't be a good idea to dress up as a U-TIC soldier. Basically I wanted to strengthen the armor and add some various but useful things.

"Hmm, this design of yours is very interesting. And I think it could work," said the Professor.

"And the parts will be easy to get," added Scott. Professor nodded and pointed at a large casket of some sort.

"This here contains various bits and pieces not used in our models of Erde Kaiser. I'm glad we now have a use for them. Especially since most of them are out dated. Alright, I'll program some nano machines to start working on parts for the suit. Your Battle Armor Mark I suit will be ready in a day or so."

"Okay, thanks. But are you sure that isn't pushing..." I started. The Professor pulled out his wrench and waved it in front of my face.

"You underestimate my skill! After building Erde Kaiser, making a suit of armor is very simple!"

"Alright then. Thanks!" I said. I saluted and left the room. As I headed to the ground floor I saw Jin walking towards the Elsa's exit.

"Jin?" I asked. He stopped and looked over at me.

"What is it, Alex?" He asked.

"I was just wondering where you were going."

"I'm going to check up on Virgil. I want to see how he's recovered since his surgery." For a moment I had to stop and think about what Jin had just said. When Shion and the others had first entered the past, they found a wounded Virgil back when he was a soldier in the Federation. They took him to the church that Axel and I had passed by and he underwent surgery. I knew Jin had been a doctor at one point, but I didn't knew he had experience in surgical practice.

"Can I come?" I asked. Even though I had just been outside, I wanted to get some more fresh air.

"Sure," said Jin with a shrug. "Let's go." We left the Elsa and headed towards the forest path that would lead to the Elsa. As we were walking my mind wandered back to my encounter with T-elos in the forest. This was the first time in awhile that I had encountered her without getting attacked. I didn't know why, but I didn't feel hesitant and unsettled when I encountered T-elos. It was as if she had suddenly become no longer intimidating. That small bit of time that I had spent with her today was somehow... enjoyable? I can't wait to see her again when... wait a minute what did I just say? I switched subjects mentally and tried not to think of it anymore. And yet... it kept on coming back to mind.

After awhile we finally arrived at the Church. Jin and I walked into the old church. Too my surprise the inside was in a lot better condition than I thought it would be. The rug on the ground was a purple color with gold stripes on both ends that ran from end to end. There were several rows of church benches. About 10 rows on each side. At the center was an altar with a statue of some deity engraved in the wall behind it. On both the left and right wall were four stain glass windows. We looked around and saw that nobody was here. Jin walked towards a small door on the left of the back wall. He opened it and looked back over at me.

"It's this way," he said. I followed him into the small corridor that was riddled with doors. Jin walked down the corridor past the first door and then he opened the second door on his left. I walked inside to see Virgil lying down in a bed in the corner of the room. He was lying on his side but I could see the bandages wrapped around his head. "I'm sorry for the disturbance, but I came to check up on you." Said Jin as he approached Virgil. The soldier shifted slowly over and looked up at Jin.

"It's no problem, I had just woken up a couple of minutes ago anyway," stated Virgil. Almost immediately I could see the difference between this Virgil and the Testament. The Testament had that oddly distorted skin on the right side of his face. This Virgil didn't. His eyes shifted over to me and his face sort shifted into a slight glare. "And who the hell is this? Another weirdo friend of yours?"

"Yes he's a friend of mine. Now, give me a moment while I get the equipment ready." Jin walked off to the table where there were various medical tools lying about.

"First that whole group and then another one pops up. It must be the warm weather that draws you people out of your holes." I didn't say anything. Jin came over with a small tool with a holo screen displayed in the middle of the device. He waved it around above the areas where Virgil had apparently had his surgery. Virgil had to sit up for a moment so Jin could do this. Virgil was not wearing a shirt but he was almost wearing enough bandages to make a shirt out of them. After awhile Jin lowered the device and placed it back on the table.

"Hmm. You're recovering smoothly, but you should stay in bed for a while longer," said Jin.

"Tch. Like I needed your help. Who the hell are you? You aren't U-TIC and you aren't Federation, but you act damn suspicious for mere civilians," said Virgil. Jin let out a sigh. I did so as well, I was surprised at how stubborn Virgil was.

"I told you, you need to get some rest. We can't reveal who we are for

various reasons, but we aren't your enemy. There's no need for you to cause

yourself unnecessary stress." Insisted Jin. Suddenly the door to the room opened up and Shion walked in with... young Shion? Jin looked over to see his sister walk in.

"Shion?" Asked Jin.

"Wha—y-yeah, I brought Shion!" Said Shion. Oh yea that's right, we aren't supposed to reveal our names.

"Oh, r-right. Wh-what brings you here?" Asked Jin. He stepped out of the way and onto the sideline. The young Shion approached Virgil and held out flowers.

"Um, here!" Said young Shion.

"Wh-what? Flowers? For me?" Questioned a rather shocked Virgil.

"Yeah, they bloomed real pretty. It's so you'll get well!" Chirped young Shion.

"What? You've gotta be kidding. I don't need them." Stated Virgil with a glare. Young Shion looked down sadly.

"You won't take them?" Virgil looked shocked for a moment. Then he took the flowers and looked like he had just been force fed Sauerkraut.

"Ah, uh, th-thanks." Said Virgil. Young Shion looked up and smiled.

"You're welcome! I hope you get better soon!" Virgil lowered his head.

"Dammit, this isn't me." The older Shion started laughing. His head shot up and glared daggers at her.

"What are you laughing at?" He demanded.

"I'm sorry. It's just, you looked so different from when we first met," Shion replied.

"Well, excuse me for looking silly holding some flowers." Said Virgil as he looked away.

"Not at all. You look good with them." Virgil's head slumped.

"Damn it." The door opened again and Febronia walked in.

"Sounds like you're having fun," she said as she walked in and approached Virgil's bed side.

"Feb!" Exclaimed young Shion happily.

"Febronia." Said Shion.

"I'm glad you recovered," said Febronia as she took a step towards Virgil. Virgil glared at Febronia.

"Don't come any closer to me, Realian!" He snapped. Shion looked at both Feb and then Virgil, and repeated this process several times.

"Virgil?" She exclaimed.

"That's a U-TIC Realian. Do you know how many of my comrades have died because of them?" He shouted. His face was twisted with anger. The thought that he was in the same room as a U-TIC Realian really seemed to be pissing him off.

"Virgil, stop it. She saved your life!" Exclaimed Shion.

"I didn't ask for that! It makes me sick, thinking I've got a part of you in me! If I could move right now, I'd kill myself." Shouted Virgil.

"Whoa, whoa, now that's way overboard," I said.

"Virgil! That's enough!" Shouted Shion with a look of annoyance on her face. He snapped his head over to Shion.

"This is none of your business."

"Please don't say such sad things. Everyone worked so hard to save your life. Please don't speak so lightly about throwing it away," pleaded Febronia with a sad look on her face.

"What would a Realian know about the value of human life?" He asked with a sneer.

"It's true that I'm a Realian. We were created to serve human beings. My sisters are going through painful experiments for that purpose. But I feel no hatred for human beings, because it is the proof that we exist."

"Give me a break. A proof you exist? That's just how you've been programmed."

"It's fine if you feel that way. But my feelings right now are more than just a program." Virgil's face softened and he gave Feb a confused look.

"Huh? Your feelings?" Febronia smiled warmly. Almost like a motherly smile.

"I want you to live." Virgil looked as if he was becoming sick to his stomach.

"I'm starting to feel sick. I'm gonna sleep." Said Virgil as he shifted over and showed us his back. Shion looked over at Febronia.

"Feb..." She said.

"We would never want people to suffer." Shion nodded.

"I know. We'll come to understand each other someday."

After a few minutes I left the room and went outside to take a look around. I was lost in my thoughts as I thought about what had just transpired. So much going on, and so fast. Somehow, someway I had to find a way to save my Universe. But how? How can I find Zarathustra like this? The longer we were stuck here, the greater the chance that it was already too late to do anything. I didn't even know how much time I had left. As I looked around I thought I saw T-elos standing at the top of the Church on the bell tower. I continued to look up to see if I had been seeing things.

"Alex?" Asked Shion. I looked down and back over at her. She and Jin had just left the Church and were standing there right behind me.

"Y-yes?" I asked.

"What's up? You were starring intently up to the sky," asked Jin. I shook my head.

"It's nothing, I was just looking up at the bell tower of this church." It seems like they accepted this answer because they didn't ask me anymore about it. As they begin to head back to the Elsa I looked up to see if I could still see T-elos. But she was nowhere in sight. I shrugged and assumed that I must have been seeing things.

Later that day onboard the Elsa, I headed down the lab because I had nothing to do. As I almost passed by Professor's Lab, I saw Shion and the others inside talking to Professor and Scott.

"Wow, so this is KOS-MOS's basic theory?" Asked Scott. I walked in to see what was going on. Everyone was gathered around a screen. There was a diagram with a wire frame model and the name: 'KOS-MOS' written at the top.

"Hmm. These are some excellent calculations." Stated the Professor.

"Well, how 'bout it?" Asked Jr.

"Is it possible to fix KOS-MOS?" Asked Shion with a concerned look.

"Beats me!" Responded the Professor.

"What?" Exclaimed Allen.

"So this data might be able to help in repairing KOS-MOS?" I asked. Shion looked over at me and nodded.

"That's right," she said. Professor approached KOS-MOS' Maintenance bed.

"With this data you brought back and the newly designed body, it is possible to restore her to her original form." He said.

"Then..." Started Shion, but was interrupted by the Professor.

"But even so…there's still too many parts we don't understand. Even if the repairs are perfect, we don't know if she'll reboot or not."

"She's completely different from Erde Kaiser, the field in which we specialize," added Scott. The Professor nodded.

"Indeed. This thing doesn't even transform, much less combine."

"What the...? That's not the problem!" Exclaimed Allen. The Professor glared at Allen.

"Did you say something?" Allen shook his head quickly.

"Oh, uh, n-nothing."

"Anyway, we'll do what we can. After all, I don't get many chances to play around with this baby. Hehehehehe." Said the Professor with a wide grin on his face.

"Yeah! Ah, hah, hah, hah, hah!" Said Scott while laughing with a silly look on his face. Allen looked over at Shion with a look of worry.

"Chief, are you sure about this? If we leave it up to them, they may make things even worse," he said. Allen probably had a point. It was questionable how reliable Professor and Scott would be for this job. The worst that could happen would be KOS-MOS doesn't reboot and ends up getting even more damaged... no the worst that could happen is that she does reboot but then pulls out a massive sword and shouts: 'ERDE KOS-MOS SLASH!!!!!' or something like that. Professor shot another glare at Allen.

"Hey, I heard that, you! When it comes to robotics, I don't make mistakes! Sit back and leave it to me!" He exclaimed. Professor looked at all of us. "Now, all you people

here are in the way! Get out! Shoo!" I shrugged.

"Well, if we're in the way then we should probably get out of here before he starts chucking wrenches at us," I said. Scott turned his attention from the Professor over to us.

"Why don't you try out the latest game in the lounge? We modified it a little, so I think you'll enjoy it," he suggested.

"You mean that HaKox game? I saw that in the corner but I never played it before," I said.

"Really? Well, I guess it might be nice to relax a little," said Jr. He glanced over at Shion. "Let's check it out, Shion."

"Sounds good. I'll go with you, too," said Allen. But judging by the way the Professor quickly held up his hand, he probably had other plans in store fore Allen.

"Wait. You stay here, Assistant #2," he said. Allen turned around to face him.

"Huh?"

"What did you expect? You're my temporary assistant! Don't tell me you're already planning on taking a break!" Allen didn't say anything, but then Scott patted him on the back.

"Right, then! Let's get to it, Allen!" He stated. Everyone else, including myself, left and headed up to the lounge. As Jr and the others started up a game of HaKox, I went over to the bar to order a drink. Captain Matthews sat on a stool several feet to my right. He seemed so focused on his drink that he didn't seem to notice us walk in... or at least show any sign of it. The Bartender robot handed me my drink a few seconds later. MOMO looked over at me and gave me a rather shocked look.

"Another drink, Alex?" She exclaimed in a tone of surprise.

"Man, keep up that habit and you'll end up like Captain Matthews," said Jr without looking at me.

"Hey, nothin' wrong with enjoying some quality booze," commented Captain Matthews. "It just shows the kid has good taste." Before I could reply the door opened and Axel walked in. He stretched and let out a loud yawn.

"Now that was a good nap," he said as he rubbed his eyes.

"Wait a moment, you are pure blooded, 100 Nobody. I thought you don't need to sleep," I said.

"It's true I don't need to sleep. But in the days when I was human, I loved to sleep. As a Nobody, that is still one of my favorite past times... aside from burning things." He looked over at the HaKox machine. "What is that thing?"

"It's an arcade game of some sort," I said. I walked over to where the main control panel was. Jr was busy pressing buttons wildly while looking up at the large display on the wall. It showed a row of blocks forming a multi-floor pathway. Apparently the goal of the game was to get all your characters from point A to point B while avoiding obstacles. Judging by the level he was playing, it must be pretty hard at times. Oddly enough the characters on screen looked a lot like some of the people here in the lounge. On screen were four small characters walking on the pathways: MOMO, Jr, Shion, and Jin. After awhile I got more and more interested in this game and I asked if I could give it a try. Oddly enough, this game supported multiple people to control various things in the levels. It was a very interesting feature. By my luck I ended up on a hard level, which resulted in lots of laughter as I shouted at the characters telling them not to go one way as that would lead them off the map and into the oblivion below. Even Axel, Ziggy, Jin, and chaos joined in on the fun. We must have been at this for a couple of hours at least, I honestly lost track of time.

"That was actually pretty fun. Those two did a good job for a change," said Jr. Upon hearing that last part I was a bit worried about how things would go with the Mark I suit...

"How do you feel? Do you feel relaxed?" Asked Ziggy as he looked over at Shion. She simply nodded.

"Yes. I'm sorry, I guess I've been worrying everyone," she replied.

"Don't worry about it. We're friends, right? When stuff happens, don't hesitate to tell us," commented Jr reassuringly. Upon hearing this I couldn't help but feel slightly guilty. I felt guilty for not telling them why I had come to this Universe, I felt guilty for not telling them about T-elos being here. Nor the apparent fact that the Testaments know where we are. Though I'm not sure if that's a problem or not. But knowing how well our interactions with the Testaments has gone before, it's definitely going to be a problem.

"Thanks. I'm going to go rest a bit in my room. If anything happens, give me a call," said Shion.

"Sure thing," replied Jr. Shion left the lounge and headed off to the Ladies Cabin. Jr and MOMO continued to play HaKox while chaos watched. Jin and Ziggy left and headed off somewhere. Axel picked up a magazine of some sort and was reading it. I stepped outside the Elsa for a moment to get away from the sound of machines for a little bit. As I sat outside the cave I picked up a scent all of a sudden. Which was odd since now a days I have been having trouble picking up scents thanks to that stupid curse. Even more interesting was that it was T-elos' scent. It wasn't too far away so I jumped up to the top of the cave to take a look around. Sitting on a high up tree branch was T-elos. Out of curiosity I jumped from branch to tree branch and landed on a branch nearby T-elos. She looked over at me as I approached.

"Alex? What are you doing here?" She asked rather surprised.

"I was outside just now, I happen to pick up your scent and so I decided I would drop in and say: 'hi'." I responded.

"Weren't your dark powers sealed?"

"For the most part they are. But sometimes I can pick up scents." T-elos smiled.

"Well, I knew we would meet tomorrow. But I didn't think we'd meet again today. It is most unexpected."

"_And it's kinda nice too," _I said in my thoughts.

"And you know..." Started T-elos. I looked over at her. "It's also kinda nice." Now that surprised me. How coincidental that she said what I was thinking. "You know, you don't have to stand like that. Come sit on this branch," she said as she tapped the branch she was sitting on. I jumped onto the branch and sat down next to T-elos.

"So, that Miltian Conflict will happen soon, right?" I asked. T-elos nodded.

"Yes, according to my database, the Miltian Conflict will start in almost a week from now." She paused for a moment and then continued talking. "Why do you ask?"

"I just wanted to make sure that I had all my facts straight," I said. For a few moments there was silence. Neither of us said a word as a warm breeze blew by. After awhile, T-elos broke the silence.

"You know, you sure have changed in the last few hours," she said. I looked over at her slightly confused.

"What do you mean?"

"When we met at that area with the crashed vehicle you were acting rather hostile. But now your more relaxed. As if you were talking to..." T-elos seemed to be pondering about what her choice of words should be. "A close friend of yours."

"Well, I thought about what you said and I began to see what you meant. We really aren't enemies. I think we share some things in common. You carry out orders given to you by those Testafreaks. I carry out orders given to me by the King. And our jobs both require us to fight time and again. Hell, if there wasn't this whole conflict going on I'd have asked you if you would want to be my partner in crime." T-elos smiled again.

"A partner, huh? I like the sound of that." She held out her hand. "When everything is said and done, if we are both still alive, how about we team up?" I smiled back, nodded, and shook her hand.

"It's a promise," I said.

"Aw, isn't that cute?" Asked a voice. We both shot around to see Xemnas standing there on another tree branch not to far away from us.

"Xemnas..." I uttered with a glare on my face. He sneered at me.

"It's so adorable to see the half breed trying to play human. You barely exist, Alex. And yet you insist on letting your actions be controlled by your fragmented heart," Xemnas stated in a mocking tone.

"At least I have a heart," I countered. Xemnas started laughing.

"A fragmented, incomplete heart is no different from having no heart at all. When will you finally except that your emotions are just fabrications? How long will it take you to realize that what you feel is a lie created by your practically non-existent heart?"

"Don't you dare say any more." I growled.

"But if you were to join me, I could show you how to become complete." I was about ready to summon the Dark Horizon but I decided not to for now.

"Gee, thanks for wasting our time by advertising your new Organization. But I'm not interested, so go away." T-elos nodded.

"You heard him, get out of here... before I decided to smash your face in just for the fun of it," added T-elos.

"Thanks for the support," I whispered to T-elos. She looked back at me, smiled, and gave the thumbs up.

"No problem," she whispered back. Xemnas turned his focus onto T-elos.

"So you are T-elos, a mere rag doll dug up out of grave." This seem to hit a nerve in T-elos. For the first time ever, I could see that she was pissed.

"How dare you..." She said through her clenched teeth. Xemnas started to laugh.

"What a perfect match. A cheap imitation of KOS-MOS, and a cheap imitation of a Nobody. Have you two considered..."

"That's enough of that!" Shouted T-elos. Okay, now she's pissed off. And the sight of that was scary. She looked at me and smirked. "Say Alex, what say we take him out just for the fun of it?" I summoned the Dark Horizon.

"I like the sound of that," I said. Xemnas started laughing again.

"You really are hopeless, Alex. What can you possibly hope to accomplish here? Nothing, that's what. Keep denying the facts while you still can, cause soon you will see that being incomplete will hurt you in the long run." With that, Xemnas opened up a portal of darkness and vanished. I dismissed the Dark Horizon and looked at T-elos.

"I'm sorry about that. I should have made sure that he hadn't returned before any of this happened," I said. T-elos shook her head slowly and placed a hand on my shoulder.

"You don't have to apologize. What's happened has happened," she said reassuringly.

"That's true," I said. I looked over at her and smiled. "T-elos..." I started. She looked over at me.

"Yes?"

"Do you think maybe we could..." T-elos seem to be anticipating what I was going to say, or at least she seemed really interested... but I was interrupted as my Connection Gear went off. I let out a sigh.

"Perfect timing," I said sarcastically. T-elos and I chuckled as I pulled out my Connection Gear. I activated the video screen, making sure T-elos couldn't be seen. Axel popped up on the screen, looking very concerned.

"What's up Axel?" I asked.

"Where the hell are you, Alex? We're under attack! The Black Testament popped up out of nowhere and is now attacking!" He shouted.

"WHAT?" I exclaimed T-elos also seemed to look shocked.

"You better get over here now! We're in some deep shit!" I nodded.

"Understood, I'll be there shortly." I turned the Connection Gear off.

"I heard nothing about this attack!" Exclaimed T-elos in shock.

"I guess it slipped their minds," I said. I stood up but then T-elos grabbed my arm.

"Wait, Alex." She said. I looked down at her.

"What is it?" She paused for a second.

"I can't go with you, but I can give you advice. The Testaments do have a weakness. If you use your keyblade you can cancel out their defenses temporarily. That will allow a small window of time to damage them. If you can do enough damage, even a Testament will retreat. Even if they can't die." I nodded and smiled.

"Alright, thank you, T-elos." She nodded and stood up on the branch. All of a sudden she moved towards me and gave me a hug. Now this really shocked me. I quickly returned the hug by putting my arms around her. She pushed me back and put her hands on my shoulders.

"No problem. Just please be careful, okay?" I nodded.

"Alright, you got it." I jumped down from the branch and ran towards the entrance of the cave. I bursted into the Elsa. Axel stood there waiting for me.

"There you are, I was waiting for you," he said.

"Where's that Testament?" I asked.

"Down in the Elsa's hangar." I nodded.

"Alright, let's go down there and kick some ass." We went down there using the elevator. As we arrived I saw it for myself. The pale skin... the red eyes... it truly was the Black Testament. And he was holding KOS-MOS' maintenance bed. They must be after KOS-MOS to finish the job. But what did they send T-elos to take care of this? Captain Matthews, Tony, and Jr were firing guns at the Black Testament. Jin, MOMO, chaos, and Ziggy were standing there. Scott was carrying the Professor to safety. I summoned the Dark Horizon. "It's game over Testa-freak!" I shouted. He looked over at me and smirked at me as if I was nothing.

"Tony! Fall back! You can't do anything about that monster!" Exclaimed Captain Matthews. I glared at the Testament and I was about to run towards him when I felt a large metal hand come down on my shoulder. I stopped and looked over to see Ziggy walking towards the Testament.

"Out of the way," said Ziggy.

"But, old man," protested Jr.

"Don't worry. I'm perfectly calm right now." The Black Testament began to walk by Ziggy slowly. "Voyager! Why are you here? What is your objective?" Voyager shot a blast of energy at Ziggy. But Jin blocked it, and then Ziggy jumped into the air to attack Voyager. As his punch came near Voyager, he was deflected by a light purple shield and was thrown back to the ground. So that's the barrier T-elos was talking about. If I can get close enough... then maybe.

"Old man!" Exclaimed Jr.

"Jr. Are you all right?" Asked Shion as she and Allen came inside.

"Stay back, Shion! Don't come in here!" Exclaimed Jr. Shion and Allen walked further into the room.

"But isn't that—the Black Testament?" She asked. That's when she noticed the Maintenance bed. "KOS-MOS!" She shouted. Shion summoned her shield weapon and ran towards Voyager.

"No! Shion!" Exclaimed chaos. She jumped into the air and was about to hit the Testament when all of a sudden Voyager held up his hand and Shion hit an invisible barrier. Shion became rigid and still in the air and her weapon fell to the ground. Voyager held his hand just a bit away from Shion's neck.

"Let KOS-MOS—Let her go!" Grunted Shion. I could recognize by the sounds of her voice that Voyager was telepathically strangling her. Now was the time to act! I ran towards Voyager and stopped at mid-distance. I held out my Keyblade and aimed it at him. I began to focus energy at the tip of the blade. Voyager seemed to notice what I was doing. And as I was about to fire off the shot he sent a wave of invisible energy at me with his eyes and I was sent flying into the air. I crash landed on the ground and I rolled onto my back. As I struggled to get up I noticed that something happen. A glowing blue light emerged from the Maintenance bed and shot out all over the place like a field of energy.

"_That's the same energy wave as the one that appeared when I met T-elos back in the Underworld..." _I said in my thoughts as I got up.

"_Could that be... that Hilbert Effect? _Asked the Dark Horizon. Suddenly an arm bursted out of the side of the Maintenance bed and grabbed Voyagers arm. And then in the blink of an eye the top bursted off and KOS-MOS jumped out of the bed. KOS-MOS let out a full force punch and smashed Voyager into a nearby wall, dropping both Shion and the Maintenance bed. KOS-MOS then picked up and threw her Maintenance bed at Voyager. But he simply destroyed it with his powers. KOS-MOS fired her gun at Voyager, but the shots were absorbed. Voyager telepathically threw a large piece of metal at KOS-MOS. But then she grabbed it and slashed at Voyager with it. He destroyed that too. Around this time we all ran towards KOS-MOS.

"Whoa! She's way more powerful than she was before!" Exclaimed Jr.

"KOS-MOS! You're alright!" Cried Shion with a tone of happiness.

"Shion, I will need your assistance in defeating the enemy unit," said KOS-MOS.

"Right. I understand. Come on, KOS-MOS!" Said Shion as she pulled out her weapon again.

"Acknowledged. Engaging with maximum attack force." I went into a fighting stance.

"Let's kick some ass..." I looked over at KOS-MOS. "It's good to be fighting by your side again." I can tell that what I said fell on deaf ears. We all started charging towards Voyager in an attempt to attack him. All of our attacks bounced off his shields.

Suddenly I sensed something, it was faint, but for a moment I saw a massive black monster hovering behind Voyagers back. I took a step back as I saw it. As KOS-MOS attacked Voyager again, the creature raised up it's hand and the barrier formed.

"_That's it! That monster is merely our perception of his power. Only for some reason it seems like I'm the only one who can see it," _I said in my thoughts.

"_An amazing analysis. I'm impressed Alex,"_ said the Dark Horizon. I aimed my Keyblade at Voyager again. He simply rolled his eyes and raised his hand to shoot an attack at me. Suddenly Axel jumped in the way and blocked the attack.

"Axel?"

"Keep going! I think I get what you are planing!" He said.

"Y-you can see it too?" I asked.

"Of course I can! We Nobodies are very sensitive to such things." Stated Axel as if it was so obvious. I ran towards Voyager while the Keyblade glowed with energy. Voyager disappeared in an attempt to avoid me. I closed my eyes and focused.

"_Powers of Darkness... don't fail me now," _I said in my thoughts. I focused as I tried to search for where Voyager would appear. I shot my eyes open as I faintly sensed him behind me. I quickly spun around to see him flying down towards me with his hand open. But I was quicker, I shot the Keyblade's energy at him and it made contact with his shield. His shield shattered and he fell to the ground and stumbled. "NOW! Attack him!" I shouted. Shion and the others seemed confused at first but they quickly started attacking Voyager. He let out a burst of energy and I was sent flying to the ground. He turned at me and glared, quite clearly pissed at the sheer amount of damage I had allowed Shion and the others to inflict upon him. He walked towards me and held out his hand. Suddenly I rose up into the air and I felt a chocking feeling in my throat. I couldn't breath and the most I could do was just struggle vainly in the air. I could feel everything getting blurry and dark as oxygen failed to reach my lungs. Already I could feel my existence vanishing, I was starting to fade away. I could see Shion and the others trying to reach me but Voyager was fending them off with a barrier. He was determined to kill me. That was when I saw a blur of fire shoot towards Voyager and strike him in the chest. Voyager stumbled back and I fell to the ground.

"_That was too close..." _Said the Dark Horizon. I coughed for a few seconds and I got back up.

"_Indeed it was." _As I looked over to see who attacked Voyager. Axel stood there with his wheel weapons in hand. They were smoking in his hands as he held them. "A-Axel?" I asked through deep breaths.

"You alright, Alex?" He asked.

"Y-yea," I said.

"Alright. Now let's go and t..." Axel was interrupted as a large metal pole went flying out of nowhere and impaled him right through the area where his heart would be.

"NO!" I shouted. Voyager stood their with his hand out and smirking.

"That's the last time he'll interfere," said Voyager in a low, rough voice. I ran towards Axel and bent down to his side. Voyager ignored me for the moment and started fighting Shion and the others again.

"Axel. Axel! Hang in there!" Axel raised up his hand as he started going transparent... just like last time.

"No, it's ok. Just looks like I... got unlucky," he said. I shook my head.

"Don't say that. We can get you through this!" I exclaimed.

"It was fun to travel... with you... again." He coughed. "Alex... you had... better safe our... Universe... make sure... that... Roxas... doesn't get...killed off... like... this..." He gasped.

"I promise, the Gnosis will never reach Sora or Roxas. I'll stop this madness before that ever happens." Axel smirked.

"Thanks... Alex... Good... bye..." Axel closed his eyes and faded into darkness. I lowered my head in sorrow. He had died once again... and I had been powerless to do anything about it. Just like I had been powerless to help him after he sacrificed himself to stop those Nobodies last year. I looked up at Voyager and my sorrow boiled into anger. The sound of the battle faded out, replaced by the constant beating of a heart. Was it my heart? I couldn't tell, all I could tell was that I felt something surging inside me. I picked up the Dark Horizon, glared at Voyager. And then I let out a roar of anger.

My vision almost seemed to go red. My body moved by just barely thinking about what I wanted to do. I charged towards Voyager with my Keyblade ready. I slashed at him multiple times at a speed that even my eyes couldn't keep up with. He blocked the attacks, I jumped to the side as Shion, KOS-MOS, and MOMO opened fire with their projectile attacks. Jr helped out too. Ziggy then summoned a bazooka and started firing off several shots. Jin charged in and attacked while chaos fired off ether attacks. The sounds of the battle were hushed all I could hear was the beating of that heart... and anger... incredible amounts of anger... I had never felt anything like this before. It was as if something had taken over my body. At first I had control over it but now I was quickly LOSING control over it.

"_What's happening to me?" _I asked.

"_I don't know. It's like some consciousness is trying to take over. We have to fight it back! If you lose control you may lose it forever!" _Exclaimed the Dark Horizon. I saw my body flying in the air and attacking Voyager with attacks I didn't know I was capable of doing. As I landed on the ground I struggled for control. My body stopped moving and I fell to my knees. As I struggled my vision began to clear but as the "Other" fought back my vision would go back to red. It was a power struggle, and one that I could not afford to lose. I watched Shion and the others fighting Voyager while I was fighting the enemy within. I started flailing around as I struggled to get control back. I could feel my consciousness being suppressed... held back... my vision was going dark... was this the end?

* * *

BACK AT HOLLOW BASTION...

* * *

As Luther was typing he could feel a strange torrent of emotions coming from Alex. He didn't know what was going on, but it was strange. And then there was an emotion he wasn't expecting to come from Alex. An emotion similar to what Luther felt towards Clair, the woman he loved waiting for him back at his new home. But all of a sudden something else came up. The pain of loss... anger... anger... anger unlike anything Luther had ever felt. And then all of a sudden he stopped typing and gasped as he felt a sharp pain. He fell to his knees and clutched his head in agony.

"L-Luther? What's wrong?" Asked Sora.

"Ugh... guh... aaaaaaaghhhh!!!! This... this pain. It's not mine... it's Alex's pain," grunted Luther.

"Alex's pain?" Exclaimed King Mickey. The Twilight Horizon appeared next to Luther.

"I can feel it too... it's horrible," it commented.

"What in the hell is going on in that Universe?" Asked Riku as he looked at the door that lead to Ansem's Study. Donald squawked in alarm.

"What are we waiting for? Alex needs help!" He exclaimed. Sora nodded.

"Yea, he seems to have gotten into some deep trouble. We have to go help!" He exclaimed. King Mickey shook his head.

"No, we can't interfere. Alex took that burden alone, he wanted us to protect this Universe in case he should fail," said King Mickey sadly. Kairi shot around towards King Mickey.

"So we abandon our friend to this clear and present torture?" She exclaimed.

"No... this isn't... being caused by an... enemy..." Grunted Luther as he tried to recover himself. "Something inside Alex has awoken... it's tearing him apart trying to keep control over him. And unless Alex can... what's... what's this?" The pain stopped and Luther got up.

"He's fought it off somehow... but how did he do it?" Asked Luther.

"Could it be... he's achieving the Last Requirement? Just like you have?" Asked the Twilight Horizon.

"Most likely," said Luther as he started typing again.

* * *

BACK ON THE ELSA...

* * *

It was a losing battle, my vision stayed crimson red and I was running out of strength to fight it. I could hear several of my comrades calling my name... but I didn't have the strength to respond. I didn't have the strength to cry out in pain, or to cry out for help. I could feel myself falling and fading into darkness.

"_I guess... this... is how it... ends..." _I said.

"_My strength can no longer... protect you... A...lex..." _Said the Dark Horizon weakly. It can't end like this. Not like this... not like this. Suddenly everything faded into white light. The red vision was gone and the "Other" was gone. Out of the light came out a hand covered by a long black glove.

"Is that you... T-elos?" I asked weakly.

"_Come on Alex. Get back up on your feet, I know that even you are stronger than this." _Said a voice. I couldn't tell who said it. Maybe I assumed it was T-elos because I was calling out to the person that I... I caught myself from saying something in my thoughts right there and closed my eyes. I stood back up and the light faded. The battle seemed to be wearing down as I stood there. I picked up the Dark Horizon and spun it around in my hand.

"Let's go," I said.

"_Alright, we're back in action!" _Said the Dark Horizon. I charged towards Voyager and came at him with full speed. He was so surprised by my recovery that he didn't have time to raise up his shield. I smacked him right in the face with the Dark Horizon. I slashed him several times with my Keyblade and then I aimed my hand at him.

"THUNDAGA!!!" I shouted as a large bolt of lighting slammed down onto the Testament. I exhaled and back flipped behind Ziggy, whom approached Voyager.

"Voyager! How much longer do you intend to keep doing this?" He demanded. He picked up an AGWS Rifle and aimed it at Voyager. I knew Ziggy was strong, but that's crazy. Ziggy opened fire, shooting massive armor piercing rounds at Voyager. Which got blocked by Voyager's shield. "Do you really think this will satisfy your never-ending thirst for power?" He demanded as he kept on firing. Ziggy stopped firing for a moment. "Answer me, Erich!" Upon saying that final word he fired one more shot. Which also got blocked by Voyager's shield. I assumed that Erich was once the name of Voyager, but that's not important right now. "Now do you think that you've really won this?" Suddenly KOS-MOS popped up behind Voyager.

"This is checkmate," she said calmly. She plunged her sword right through Voyager's back and stuck out of him. Then all of a sudden he shot backwards and into the Elsa's wall. There was now a large hole in the Elsa where there had once been a wall. Fortunately it would be a relatively easy fix, so that shouldn't make Captain Matthews all THAT pissed. KOS-MOS landed on the ground next to us. Voyager floated there in the air, looking quite pissed about what just happened. Before he could attack, the voice of the Red Testament could be heard.

"How long are you planning to play with them? You're taking too long. Return. If she has awakened, then we must devise our next move," he said. Voyager started to laugh.

"I'm sorry, but it seems your time is up. You'll pay for what you have done. We will settle this later at a more appropriate time. Farewell for now. Good-bye, Jan Sauer," said Voyager as he disappeared while laughing.

"Are we safe, now?" Asked MOMO.

"Yes. We're safe for now, MOMO," replied Jin. He looked over at KOS-MOS. "But it wouldn't have ended well for us if we had kept on fighting. We've already lost Axel, and almost lost Alex too." Upon hearing Axel's name I felt a quick pang of sorrow. He shouldn't have died... that shouldn't have happened. My thoughts were interrupted by Shion shouting.

"KOS-MOS!" She cried as she ran over to KOS-MOS and hugged her. For the first time today I actually took a look at KOS-MOS. She wore an outfit a lot like T-elos' outfit only a lot less revealing. It also used only colors of blue and white, the opposite of T-elos. "Thanks goodness. I was so worried about you."

"Shion, it appears that I have caused you undue emotional stress while my functions were suspended. I must apologize," said KOS-MOS as she hugged Shion. Now that was a surprise. KOS-MOS never showed much emotion... let alone hug anyone. So this was a shocker.

"You should. I was…really worried about you! I'm so…glad…you're all right…KOS-MOS…" Said Shion slowly. Suddenly she passed out into KOS-MOS' arms.

"Shion?" KOS-MOS asked.

"Shion!" Exclaimed chaos.

"Chief?" Asked Allen.

"Shion!" Exclaimed Jin.

"It happened again, didn't it?" I asked. Jin looked at Shion, and then over at me.

"It would appear so." He paused for a second and looked back at Shion, and then over at me. "What about you? What happened back there?"

"I have no idea, something just took over inside of me." Jin nodded and then told KOS-MOS to take Shion up to her room so she could rest.

"Whatever it was, it freaked us out," said Jr.

"We all thought you were going through some sort of mental breakdown or something," added chaos. Jr smirked.

"But man those were some pretty fast moves though. Whatever caused that made you pretty powerful."

"Yea... but I don't want to go through that again. That was horrible," I said.

"Where's Axel's body?" Asked MOMO. I looked down at the ground sadly.

"It's... his body is gone... it's faded into darkness."

"What do you mean?" Asked Ziggy.

"When we Nobodies die, our bodies don't stay behind. They fade and vanish into the darkness. What happens to us after that, who knows?" I said. As KOS-MOS returned I looked over at her and smirked. "Welcome back KOS-MOS, we missed you in your absence."

"I am happy to be of service," said KOS-MOS. I nodded and as I headed towards the elevator I turned around and looked at everyone.

"Well... I'm going to go to bed now... I'm very tired," I said.

"Alright, get some sleep then," said Jin. I nodded and headed up, everyone else began to head up too. "Alex." Started Jin. I looked back at him.

"Yeah?" I asked.

"I am sorry for your loss today." I smiled weakly.

"It's ok, it's not the first time I've lost a comrade in battle..." I said as I headed towards the elevator. I suddenly began to stumble and fall when all of a sudden, KOS-MOS was there for me to lean up against while I recovered myself.

"Thanks KOS-MOS... I was feeling a little woozy right there."

"You are welcome," said KOS-MOS as she kept a support hand on my arms to make sure I didn't fall again. As I reached the elevator she let go but that's when I noticed something strange. Some sort of light was coming off the areas where those seals were placed on my arms. I would have looked to see what was going on but I was too tired to do anything about it now. KOS-MOS guided me to the Cabin to make sure I didn't collapse onto the floor and then left me once we got there. Everyone else seemed really tired as well. I got onto my bed and fell asleep.

* * *

So what will happen next? How will things go with Alex's little meeting tomorrow? Find out in the next chapter. Oh and please review. 


	10. The Vessels of Anima

Thanks goes to those who reviewed! I really appreciate it. Anyway... ah screw it you know the drill by now.

Disclaimer: Yea, yea, I don't own Star Ocean, Xenosaga, nor Kingdom Hearts. And I don't own Halo... which Alex makes yet another reference about.

* * *

Chapter 10: The Vessels of Anima

That night, I had yet another one of those strange dreams where various events from the past day or so played back while doing that weird rewinding thing. But oddly enough, there were no memories of T-elos. It seemed strange that she wouldn't pop up somewhere in there.

I woke up and looked over at the desk where I had been placing letters that I was going to send to the King. I had tried to send them earlier yesterday but it wouldn't go through. I checked the sending device and there was no damage... so why wasn't it working? Maybe it has something to do with being stuck in the past? I shrugged and sat down to write another letter.

* * *

BACK AT ANSEM'S COMPUTER ROOM...

* * *

As a process was running, Luther decided to take a break. Sora and the others were eating lunch in Ansem's Study. So Luther left the Computer Room to join them. As he walked in, Sora waved a box in the air lightly.

"About time you took a break! You'd be lucky if your lunch is still hot," he said as he put it down on the table surface next to the empty chair. Luther walked over and sat down onto the chair.

"Thanks," said Luther as he opened the box and started eating.

"Hey, Luther," started Riku. Luther stopped eating and looked over at Riku.

"Yes? What is it?"

"I've heard that the Horizons are unique Keyblades... but what is the Last Requirement? Your Keyblade mentioned that earlier." Luther took a deep breath and started to explain.

"The Last Requirement is the final barrier that stands between a Keyblade Wielder and the full power of a Horizon Blade. Should you break that barrier down... you will gain power that far exceeds that of any Keyblade." Sora almost chocked on his food.

"You serious?" He exclaimed. Donald squawked.

"Sora, you should get one of them Horizon Blades!" Stated Donald.

"Unfortunately it's not that simple," said King Mickey. Donald looked over at his King slightly confused.

"Huh?"

"What do you mean, Your Majesty?" Asked Goofy.

"Right, there are only four Horizon Blades in existence. It is believed they have existed since the dawn of time, but that is more likely a myth than a fact. And they are infamous for being extremely picky. You already have to possess the qualities that a regular Keyblade will look for in people. But then there are even more requirements," added Luther.

"More requirements?" Exclaimed Sora.

"That's pretty strict, not to mention it must be really hard to find something so rare," said Leon.

"The Horizons are both easy and hard to find. I believe that somehow, a Horizon Blade will choose it's wielder at birth. Somehow it enters the mind of the wielder and at a certain age, the Horizon will draw the wielder into their own mind." Sora tilted his head in confusion.

"Into their own... mind?" He asked.

"How does that work?" Asked Goofy.

"Inside your mind is a world made up entirely of your memories. It can change shape and size, depending on your experiences. Were you to enter your own mind you could explore the corridors of your past. Deep within those corridors, in the case of a Horizon Wielder, will be a room created not from your memories, but the consciousness sleeping with the Horizon blade inside your mind. Inside this room will be a Keyblade made of stone. Should you pull out the blade, your ability to wield the Horizon Blade will be awakened." Sora let out a groan.

"Ugh... I'm really lost," he complained.

"Did you and Alex go through that?" Asked Kairi. Luther nodded.

"Yes. I experienced it after my projected form within the Eternal Sphere was destroyed. I was rendered unconscious and I found the Twilight Horizon. While my experience was normal... Alex's was very much abnormal," continued Luther.

"What do you mean?" Asked King Mickey.

"From what I have gathered, the Dark Horizon did not pull Alex into his mind yet. He was forcefully pulled into that state by another acting force. My theory is that he might have come into contact with something when he ventured into that other Universe."

"I wonder what that other acting force was..." Said King Mickey. He looked back at Luther. "So how do you achieve the Last Requirement?"

"The Last Requirement is this: The Wielder must have a very special connection with another person. If that connection is strong enough, the Wielder can draw strength from the emotions they feel towards that person. But that other person cannot be a fellow Horizon Wielder."

"What kind of connection?" Asked Kairi.

"It can be almost anything. The bond between lovers, the bond between extremely close friends, parent and child, or strong hatred for an arch-enemy. There are probably other examples but I can't think of any at the moment."

"How did you achieve the Last Requirement?"

"I fell in love with my Commanding Officer in the Aquarian Military, Clair Lasbard. As a matter of fact, we'll be getting married soon." Kairi clapped her hands together.

"Aww... congratulations!" She exclaimed with a smile.

"_That has been a major source of your power. The desire to keep the Universes safe so that she will be there for you come your wedding day," _said the Twilight Horizon in Luther's head.

"But why hasn't Alex achieved it yet?" Asked Sora. "The Dark Horizon was always giving him grief about how he was barely using any of it's power."

"That I don't know. But if what I sensed from Alex is true... then he may be well on his way to achieving it. It's only a matter of time now."

* * *

BACK ON THE ELSA...

* * *

I had finished writing the next letter. I included all the most recent events... excluding anything regarding T-elos. If Shion and the others found out I was hanging out with the enemy I'd be in some deep shit. If King Mickey found out I was hanging out with the enemy I'd be in even deeper shit. Of course, I was probably already in trouble for not letting everyone get involved in my quest to save the Universe. The last thing I needed to do was make it worse. I sealed the envelope and looked at my clock. I rubbed my eyes in disbelief as I checked the time. It was already 12:45... I had only 15 minutes to get to the middle of the forest.

"SHIT! I overslept!" I exclaimed. I began to panic, I thought of that clearing when all of a sudden a portal of Darkness appeared below my feet. I fell through it with some colorful language and landed on grass. I looked around and I was now at the clearing where I was supposed to be. I looked at my hand. "Did I just... use a portal of darkness?"

"It would appear so. But I don't remember you having the ability to just fall into a portal and land at your destination like that," said the Dark Horizon. I immediately checked my arms.

"Wait a minute, the seals... they're gone!" That was when I remembered when KOS-MOS escorted me up to my room my arms started glowing slightly. "How could this have happened?" That was also when I remembered Axel's death. I felt a pang of sorrow again. I knew I would have to find some way to make a memorial for him... at least a temporary one. I let out a sigh and lowered my head as I sat down on the fallen tree trunk. I looked up as I picked up T-elos' scent. It was good to have my powers back, cause now I could sense things a lot better. A minute later, she landed on the ground in the middle of the clearing. She saw me sitting there and smiled, I smiled back as she walked towards me and sat down on the same trunk.

"Good afternoon," she said.

"Good morning is more like it," I said with a smirk. "I woke up about half an hour ago." T-elos looked shocked.

"You slept for that long? I guess the battle with Voyager really wore you out." I nodded and lowered my head.

"Yea... I was almost killed in that battle." T-elos glared at me and sighed.

"Didn't I tell you to be careful? Even if you know about that weakness they are still tough. You are lucky that you are not dead!"

"You are right, I am lucky. Which is more than I can say for him..."

"What are you talking about?"

"During that battle, one of my friends died. He was impaled by Voyager."

"Who got killed?"

"Axel..." T-elos seemed surprised at hearing his name.

"Axel? Didn't he die last year?"

"Yea, but somehow he..." I paused for a moment and looked at T-elos. "Wait how did you know about that?"

"I was given all sorts of information about you. Where you were born, your current biological age, height, weight, combat tactics, where you went, who you were friends with, who your enemies were, etc." I didn't understand why the Testaments had given T-elos so much information about me, but that wasn't important right now. I was too overwhelmed by my grief.

"Ah," I said simply. I lowered my head again.

"That is the unfortunate side to the kind of life people like us lead. We can lose the ones closest to us at any given moment." I looked over at T-elos with an expression of curiosity.

"Have you lost someone close to you before?" I asked. T-elos shook her head.

"No... I've never had anyone I called a friend, nor a family member. Being an Anti-Gnosis humanoid fighting system doesn't give me any time to talk to really talk to anyone." She looked over at me and smirked. "You were actually the first person who I talked to that wasn't a Testament, Wilhelm, or an enemy that was lying dead on the ground in front of me ten seconds after I met them."

"T-elos..." I said. I looked down at the ground. "That's kind of why I enjoy the job I have now... I get to do what Ido best while getting to meet people. But I'm always afraid that one day I will revisit one of those worlds and find out that a friend of mine I knew there was killed by the Heartless. I'm also afraid that if I get too close to someone, I'll lose them. Just like I lost my Mom... like I almost lost Luther..." I shook my head and sighed again. I looked back up at T-elos and smiled to try and change the rather depressing mood brought from said subject.

"So, shall we change subjects?" I asked. She nodded.

"Yea. What do you want to talk about?" I looked up at the sky for a moment. It's color reminded me of something. After a moment of thinking about it, I finally knew what it was. The sky reminded me of a Sea-Salt Ice Cream bar, how the bottom part is Azure blue but as it goes up, it becomes lighter until it is white at the top. Thinking about this made me hungry. I looked over at her.

"I'm going to go to the city to see if they have something to eat. Want me to get you anything?" T-elos shrugged.

"Do whatever, I can last for awhile without food." I got up and opened a new portal of darkness. Just like last time I fell through the forest floor and landed on the ground outside the city entrance. I walked in and looked around. The city was quiet in the way that it wasn't as lively as you would expect a city to be. There were U-TIC soldiers walking around with the occasional Civilians. I guess this rather hushed up mood of the city was because of the fact that the city was right in the middle of a war between the Federation and U-TIC. I almost felt as if I shouldn't be here, probably because of all the stares from guards. On the far left was an ice cream store. I walked over there and checked what flavors they had, and to my surprise they had Sea-Salt Ice Cream. I ordered two bars and I left the city. From there I used a portal of darkness to go back to the clearing. There T-elos sat looking around. She noticed me walking towards her.

"Back already?" I nodded.

"Yeah, and not empty handed," I said as I handed her the other bar of Sea-Salt Ice Cream. She looked at it with an expression of interest. Upon examining the bar she started eating it. After taking her first bite she jumped back in shock.

"What the? It's salty... yet sweet!" She exclaimed in surprise. I chuckled.

"That was my reaction when I tried one of those things for the first time." I started eating my bar as well. "You know, at Twilight Town they have an Ice Cream shop which specializes in making this flavor. And it's really popular too."

"I can see why, this is pretty good," said T-elos as she paused from eating her Ice Cream bar to speak up.

"Hey, we should go there someday. What do you think?" I asked. She smiled and nodded.

"Yea, I'd like that." She seemed concerned for a moment. "But what about your buddies? They won't be happy if they find out that your hanging out with, whom they believe to be, the enemy." I shrugged.

"Don't worry about that. I'm probably already in trouble for not letting them come along with me on this quest to save the Universe. So I don't really care about how much trouble I'll get into anymore. All that really matters is stopping the Gnosis." I paused for a moment. "What about you? Aren't the Testaments going to be pissed that you are hanging out with me. Especially with several of them wanting me dead?"

"It's no big deal, they know that I'm spending time with you. And they don't care. They don't think it's a detail they need to fuss over."

"Is that so?" I asked.

"Yea, their leader is very lose. So long as you do what he wants you to do, when he wants you to do it, there's a lot of freedom."

"What about your determination to destroy KOS-MOS?" I asked. T-elos leaned forward and tapped my nose.

"I'll focus on that when the time is right. But for now, I'll let that scrap doll waltz around." I felt uneasy thinking that I may have to face off against T-elos again in the near future. I hoped that would never happen but I knew it was inevitable. After we had both finished our ice cream bars T-elos looked over at me. "Say Alex..."

"Yes?" I asked. Suddenly T-elos' Vibro blade on her left wrist guard shot out and she lunged at me. I rolled to the side to avoid the attack and then I summoned the Dark Horizon. "H-hey! What's the big idea?" I exclaimed.

"I just decided we should have a little sparring match," said T-elos.

"Damn! I knew it was a trap!" Exclaimed the Dark Horizon.

"It's not a trap at all!" Said T-elos as she rushed towards me. She slashed at me with her Vibro blade several times. I blocked the attacks with the Dark Horizon and I slashed at her. She blocked the attack and with her free hand pulled out her infamous Magdalene 16 Pistol. She shot it several times, aiming for my arms and legs. I dodged to the side to avoid the bullets. And I hid behind a nearby tree. I got out of cover to fire several magic spells at T-elos. As she blocked the attacks, I rushed in and summoned the Immaculate Amalgam into my other hand. I unleashed a fury of attacks upon her, trying to land at least one. But she managed to either dodge or block every single one of them. As my final strike came down she dodged to the side and kicked me in the back. I stumbled backwards and lost my footing.

T-elos ran towards me, grabbed me from behind and jumped into the air while holding me. I recognized this attack, this is what she used in an attempt to disable KOS-MOS. I knew what came next so I prepared to counter. I felt my her letting go of the left side of my body, from there she would wrap her legs around me while sitting on my back, use me to break the fall, and then, if she planned to go as far as last time, break my right arm. Already I had dropped one of my Keyblades, all she would have to do is disarm me and she would win. As she began the to turn my body I aimed my now freed hand right at her.

"Fire bolt!" I shouted as I shot a symbology spell at her. She was stunned about my sudden counter, but then quickly recovered and proceeded to spin up into the air while we were falling and landed on my back. The impact of her hitting my back caused me to drop the Dark Horizon. As it fell to the ground I reached out for it. Suddenly it came flying to me. I grabbed it and I spun it around with my free hand. "FIRAGA!" As fire began to appear and circle around me, T-elos jumped off of me and landed on a tree branch. I used a portal of Darkness to land safely onto the ground without getting hurt. I quickly recovered and ran towards the tree T-elos was standing on. As I came close to the tree. I held my Keyblade back and flew by. The Dark Horizon slashed through the tree and it started to fall. T-elos' visor lowered and she jumped into the air. She held her right hand up and touched her head piece. The tree just suddenly exploded into thousands of tiny splinters, followed by a delayed explosion sound. The shockwave sent me flying back. Amongst the dust I couldn't see anything. To avoid getting a piece of wood in my eyes I closed them and now I had to rely only on the power of darkness. I began to run up a tree as I sensed T-elos coming closer. As I was in mid-air I suddenly sensed T-elos coming right at me. She slammed right into me, sending me flying down through several branches and onto the ground. I swiftly got up, opened my eyes and saw T-elos standing there in a familiar position. She held her hands out as her chest piece suddenly opened up. And a red sphere appeared and started to grow.

I ran towards her to try and stop the attack, only to have her flip right over me as I slashed at her. I had put a lot of force into that attack so I stumbled near the end. As I did I realized the error I had just made. "Shit..." I whispered. The next thing I knew was the feeling of that red sphere hitting me. It felt as if all the nerves in my body had been cut off from my brain and I couldn't move my arms or legs. T-elos kicked the sphere and I was sent flying against a tree. Suddenly she held out a strange piece of equipment I hadn't seen before.

"Bind!" She shouted. Suddenly energy chains were speeding towards me. They wrapped around me and the tree and soon I was stuck there... not that it mattered since I was stuck in that sphere. Her visor rose up and she held out her right hand. The red sphere vanished but I was still stuck to the tree. She smirked. "I won."

"Note to self... watch out for that next time," I said. T-elos held out that device again and removed the chains on me.

"I believe the score is 3 to 0 now. But at least your are getting stronger," said T-elos.

"_She really likes to rub in that first fact, doesn't she?" _Commented the Dark Horizon.

"_I swear that someday, I'll at least get 1 point." _I responded.

"_Good luck with that. You might want to consider figuring out how to fulfil the Last Requirement before you say things like that. Cause that's probably your best bet." _T-elos looked up at the sky as if she heard something. She looked back at me after a few seconds.

"Well, I have to head out now. See you later at some point," she said as she waved a quick goodbye and jumped above the tree line. I opened a portal of darkness to the Elsa. As I sat in my cabin I thought about what I should do next. I decided it would be best to go and see how things stand with the Mark I suit. I headed to the Professors Lab. He and Scott were sitting at a table, drinking something that was probably booze. As I approached them Professor looked over at me and took a sip of his drink.

"Ah there you are. I was wondering when you would come here," he said. I nodded.

"Yea, I kinda overslept. Anyway, so how's the suit coming along?" I asked. Professor pointed to a door.

"It's in there," he said.

"This suit is far superior to anything U-TIC would have had in this time period. We're pretty impressed at how much we were able to with this armor that you brought," added Scott.

"Alright, I'll try it on." I said. I walked towards the room and the door slid open. I walked inside to see that this was a spare storage room of some sort. As the door closed I looked in front of me to see the Mark I suit. The part of the suit that had once been purple was now various shades of black and was in camouflage style. On both of the shoulders was the Initials RA, which was the initials for Robot Academy. The black vest hadn't changed at all excluding the back of the outfit which, according to the diagram, now had a Nobody Symbol on the back. The helmet had undergone a lot of change. It was now black as well and the visor was all one piece, not two separate parts.

"Is it just me or does that suit look a lot like..." Started the Dark Horizon.

"Yeah... that's essentially ODST Armor. Only it's nowhere near as bulky." I finished.

"Talk about coincidence." I put the armor on except for the helmet. Which I then proceeded to put on. As it covered my face, various displays popped up. This thing indicated my current health status, body temperature, equipment, current time and date, even a thing to show external temperature. There was also things like Heat Detector Vision, Night Vision, etc. Of course most of these weren't on screen, but they could be accessed, I quickly discovered, by pressing buttons on the side of the helmet. I took a step outside to show off my new suit.

"So, what do you think?" Asked Professor.

"This suit is awesome. I believe it will help in combat," I said. I deactivated and removed my helmet. "But it would be a good idea to field test this suit in the near future."

"Well that'll have to wait. Shion's up and about and she's called everyone to a meeting in the gun room," said Scott.

"Indeed, we should probably get going," said the Professor. We headed to the Gun Room and went inside. Within the next minute or so, everyone had gathered around. Shion mentioned that there were Vessels of Anima inside of the U-TIC central tower, Labyrinthos. She then asked the Professor if their power could help return us to the present. Professor thought for a moment in silence, then he spoke. "Yes, that could work. If we had Vessels of Anima, we might be able to use that energy to return to our original time."

"We could come under attack at any time. Just being able to use the E.S. would benefit us," added Ziggy.

"Not to mention this would be a good time for me to find a new Mobile Weapon," I said.

"At least that trash can of yours getting destroyed gave you motivation to get something better," said Shion teasingly.

"Hey, hey, that thing wasn't trash. It was just not built for the conditions we came across!" I exclaimed.

"But the Vessels are stored inside Labyrinthos. I don't think they'll let us inside that easily," said chaos.

"We have forged IDs. If we use them well, getting inside will be easy," replied Shion.

"At any rate, our presence here is causing an expanding distortion throughout the entire universe. It could lead to not only us disappearing, but the destruction of the universe itself," stated Professor. Jr looked around at all of us.

"Gotcha. Get yourselves ready to infiltrate the place. The third descent operation, the Miltian Conflict, is going to take place in a few days. We have to hurry," he said. Jr looked over at me as if my new suit caught his eye. "What's with the new outfit, Alex?"

"That is our latest product," said Professor. He grinned. "Battle Armor Mark I! It is a fine piece of work if I do say so myself."

"You sure you want to be wearing that? Who knows what they've done to it," said Jr.

"I think it will be fine," I said. Jr gave me an unsure look, but then turned around and walked off a few seconds later. After an hour of preparation or so, we left the Elsa and headed out to the city. From there, Shion and Allen guided us to the Acute Neurosis Treatment Facility (ANT Facility for short), which connects to Labyrinthos. The outside of the ANT Facility was a small garden with a circular object in the center with a holo ring spinning around in the air above it. We walked past the soldiers who were patrolling the outside and entered the facility through the large double doors.

The facility looked very much like a hospital. There were information desks on both the left and right. Ahead of us was a gate guarded by two U-TIC soldiers. Behind the gate was a large metal door. The U-TIC logo was displayed on the wall above the opening.

"There. We can get into Labyrinthos from that gate," said Shion.

"There are guards," stated Ziggy.

"We have IDs, so no problem, right?" Asked Jr.

"Uh, actually we can't go any further with these IDs," said Allen.

"Well that complicates things," I said.

"If there's no other route, then we have no choice but to go in by force," said Ziggy as he spun his metal fist around a couple of times.

"Yeah. We're going to have to fight sooner or later. Let's get it over with!" Said Jr as he pulled out his guns. We charged towards the guards. Within a matter of seconds they had both been taken down. As we were about to enter Labyrinthos, I stopped and looked at the desks on the left and right. People who probably worked here just starred at us, completely stopping what they were doing as if they had been frozen in time. I stepped forward and addressed them.

"You didn't see anything," I stated. Everyone nodded and quickly resumed doing whatever they were... well... doing. We proceeded into Labyrinthos. After a series of narrow passage ways we came up to a gate that blocked off the path leading to the elevator platform.

"We're not going to be able to pass this thing," said MOMO.

"Then we'll have to find another route," stated Jin. I looked around and saw a narrow catwalk and both sides of the gate. The one on the left lead to a wall, the one on the right went up to something on the right side of the wall. Judging by it's appearance it was most likely a door. I pointed towards it.

"How about there?" I asked.

"Well it's worth a shot," commented Jr with a shrug. KOS-MOS pulled out a hand gun and fired several shots at the door. It crumbled and fell off it's hinges and onto the ground. We went through the newly opened passage way and started walking down the hallway. After awhile we came to a room that head two ways to go. One was a door that lead to another area. The other one was a platform going up to a red section of the wall. The number 13 was displayed above the door on the platform. Shion stopped walking as she saw the elevator platform.

"That number..." she commented. KOS-MOS stopped and looked over at Shion.

"What is it, Shion?" Asked KOS-MOS.

"KOS-MOS, do you know where this door leads?" KOS-MOS looked at the door as if she was scanning it. A second later she spoke up.

"If it is the same as fifteen years ago, the special equipment transport elevator, which connects to the Acute Neurosis Treatment Facility lies ahead."

"I knew it. It connects to Mom's room." We kept moving forward, leaving the transport elevator behind since it wasn't our destination. As we continued walking through the narrow corridors, we heard voices. We stopped walking and looked around the corner to see two people talking. Both were wearing some sort of research uniform. The nearest man's outfit was green, he was an old man with short grey hair. I couldn't make out his eye color cause he was a bit too far away for that. The other man was probably a bit younger. He had purple wavy hair and his eyes were covered by strange glasses. His uniform consisted of purple shades.

"I don't care about you obsessing over that doll of your daughter, but I can't have you forgetting the real objective. The operation has already begun," said the younger man.

"You and Winnicot formulated it. I don't see why you need me," said the older man.

"I'm going to take over the management of this experiment, if you've lost your nerves." The older man closed his eyes and let out a sigh.

"Do as you wish. It's no longer my concern." The younger man left the scene and the older man walked into the room behind him.

"Is that Joachim Mizrahi?" Asked Jr.

"Daddy..." Whispered MOMO as she ran through the open door.

"MOMO!" Exclaimed Jr. But it was too late, MOMO had gone inside the room. I looked over at Jr.

"That guy was THE Joachim Mizrahi? The guy who was blamed for summoning the Gnosis?" I asked.

"Yup, that's him."

"Mizrahi... then that means that he's..."

"Yea. He's MOMO's father... and her creator." We waited a few minutes to see if MOMO would come back out. But she didn't so we decided to go in there. Dr. Mizrahi had already left using a small elevator in the corner of the room. In this room was a large pillar shaped machine in the middle of a glass circle on the floor. On each side of the pillar was six Zohar shaped green holograms, twelve in all. And at the back of the room was a drawing of the original Zohar. MOMO stood there looking at the elevator. Jr approached her. "MOMO, are you okay?"

"I talked with Daddy. He called me his second daughter. He said he's going to protect the world for us," she said. MOMO looked both sad and happy. "I... I..." She and Jr embraced each other.

"Yeah. I'm happy for you, MOMO," said Jr. We left that room and continued onward towards the Vessels of Anima. Almost no time had passed until Ziggy placed his right hand out to block us from continuing.

"Wait," he said calmly. Just above us was a passage way connected to a flight of stairs the lead up to it. There were two doors on both sides of the 'bridge'. One was blocked by a red screen of some sort, the other door opened. Out came a man with short black hair in a researcher outfit. He had a stern look to his face from what I could see. He was followed by a young teenager with short blue hair and blue eyes. He too wore some sort of researcher outfit.

"That's Kevin and Dad?" Exclaimed Shion. They were talking as they approached the other door. The first man (Who judging by his age was most likely Shion's Father) raised up a device and the red screen that blocked the door disappeared. Suddenly another person walked out of the room that Kevin and Shion's father had just been in. I gasped as I saw them. It was my Father in Organization XIII attire.

"My old man?" I whispered.

"That's your father?" Asked Shion. I nodded.

"Yeah... that's him." He joined up with Shion's Father and Kevin. They talked quietly and walked through the just recently unlocked door. "I don't understand. Why is he here?" I asked. I would be sure to write another report and send it to King Mickey... when I get back into the present. It didn't make any sense, I never once heard anything about my Father coming here in the distant past. What was he trying to accomplish by coming here and now?

We went up the stairs and inside the room that they walked out of. It was a small room with two computer terminals. Scott went into the corner and started typing on that terminal. The rest of us went over to the other terminal and looked around.

"What's this?" Asked Shion.

"Looks like his private room," stated chaos. MOMO approached the terminal.

"Shion! It's a list of the test subjects," said MOMO.

"So, he really was involved with U-TIC..." Said Shion as she looked at the ground.

"Shion! This name!" I looked over at the screen and saw in green letters: "AOI UZUKI".

"Yes, it's my mother's name. She was one of the victims of the experiments performed here. She was put here by the hands of the one she trusted," said Shion as she clenched her fist.

"No, below that!" Insisted MOMO.

"Below?" Asked Shion. I looked down at the next name and I jumped back in shock.

"Whoa! Eh... Shion... you might want to look at this..." Shion seemed even more curious after my reaction. She stepped forward and looked at the screen. In big green letters was the name: "SHION UZUKI". Shion gasped in shock.

"Shion Uzuki? What? Why is my name here?" She exclaimed. She looked over at Jin suspiciously. "Jin! What does this mean?! You know something, don't you?!" She exclaimed.

"Ahh..." Grunted Jin as he looked away.

"No. You're the same as Dad. You knew everything, and still you let them do that to Mom." She exclaimed.

"No! Shion, it's not like that!" Cried Jin.

"Then what is it?! If you haven't done anything wrong, then explain it to me!"

"Shion..." Started Jin. There was a beep sound and part of the wall behind the terminal opened up, revealing a lab in the next room... however you get there. Inside was a series of 8 glass tubes filled with a liquid substance and strange creatures. They stood about four feet tall and had a lethal looking sword/claw extending from both arms. Their faces were vacant and empty. They consisted mostly of shades of grey. On both of their shoulders was the number: "27". Shion gasped at the sight of them.

"What?! That's…it can't be." Exclaimed Shion in disbelief.

"Hmm. Are those combat Realians?" Asked Professor as he looked at the strange creatures.

"No doubt about it. Those are the prototype combat Realians the U-TIC Organization used during the Miltian Conflict," explained Jr. I pressed a button on the back of my helmet and I scanned one of these "Combat Realians". I let out a whistle as I looked the results.

"Man, these things rank an unusually high threat level for so called 'combat realians'." I said.

"Those are the Realians that killed Mom. Why are they here?" Asked Shion.

"Why? I'd imagine they were developed here," said Professor. Shion let out a gasp... again.

"No, it can't be. Kevin killed Mom? There is no way that can be true!" Exclaimed Shion. She suddenly bolted towards the door. Jin got in the way and blocked her.

"Shion!" Exclaimed Jr.

"Are you all right? We could cancel this operation," said Jin calmly. Shion shook her head.

"I'm fine. I just got a little worked up. When the Conflict starts, this place will be a part of the battlefield. It'll be too late then. If we miss this chance, it'll be impossible to get the Vessels of Anima," said Shion. We left the room and walked through the door that Shion's Dad, Kevin, and my Father had gone through. From there we arrived at the elevator we had seen through the gate previously, but couldn't access. As we tried to turn it on it made a buzz sound.

"You do not have the right access permission to..." Started the computer in a female voice.

"Oh shut up," I said as I summoned the Dark Horizon. A narrow beam of light shot from the Dark Horizon and hit the terminal.

"Access approved," said the machine as I dismissed the Dark Horizon. Jr went ahead and pressed the button to make the elevator head down to the lower floor.

"That Keyblade surely is something else," said Professor as the elevator started moving. As we reached the next floor, Jin guided us to a maintenance elevator that would lead us towards our destination. How he even knew about that route I have no idea, but the details aren't always important. After awhile we walked across a catwalk that was many feet above a bridge that connected a room below us to a room in the center of the chasm. Judging by the sign near that door, the Zohar was most likely in the next room.

"_Why does everything always have to be so high?" _I asked in my thoughts as we walked slowly across the narrow catwalk. After the catwalk was a small hallway with an air lock door. We opened the door and walked onto the catwalk of the next room. This room was huge, simply huge. And oddly enough a model that looked exactly like Omega Res Novae floated there in the middle of the room. Inside it was the Original Zohar in all it's golden glory.

"Hey, there's someone there," said Jr.

"Quiet Jr, If they find us it's all over," grunted chaos.

"Oh, sorry." On the ground floor of this room was that Margulis guy, Shion's Father, Kevin, and my dad.

"Dad..." Whispered Shion in slight shock.

"Colonel Margulis..." Whispered Jin in a similar state of shock as his sister.

"My father..." I said as I looked at my old man. Margulis looked over at Shion's Father.

"How is it progressing? Lord Heinlein is concerned," he said.

" Lord Heinlein? I thought this project was under Lord Sergius's jurisdiction," said Shion's Father.

"Lord Sergius is only interested in Proto Omega. It's too powerful a toy for that fool."

"So, while the Federation is easy to deceive, Ormus leaders are less likely to be fooled."

"The Federation's operation will soon begin. The system must be activated at the same time."

"The project has already entered the final phase. Dr. Sellers is in charge of the system. I'm calibrating the Vessels of Anima," explained Kevin.

"The artifacts of God scattered throughout space with the disappearance of Lost Jerusalem. Our objective is to return them to their proper form so we may return to our holy land. That is the reason the Zohar and the Vessels of Anima were created," stated Margulis as if he was giving a speech. Shion's Father and Kevin looked up at 'Proto Omega'.

"So, that's the Zohar..." Commented Shion's Father with no noticeable tone in his voice. No awe, nor shock, not even fear or amazement.

"Yes. The Zohar and the Vessels of Anima were once one whole. No, it would be better to say that they were intended to be one whole. I understand that the link experiment has been delayed. Perhaps this project is beyond Mizrahi's capability, Supervisor Uzuki," continued Margulis.

"Professor Mizrahi isn't the reason. We have to be careful since Febronia is the only usable transgenic type unit we have," explained Shion's Father.

"She's still disposable. We can always make another," stated Kevin with a tone of voice that made it clear that he probably had a nasty sneer on his face.

"Why do you insist on using Realians? You could use those patients for the experiment," suggested Margulis.

"_Use Hospital Patients? That's horrible!" _Exclaimed the Dark Horizon in my thoughts.

"Because of fear," explained Kevin. Margulis seemed curious as to what Kevin meant by that.

"Fear?"

"Unlike humans, Realians feel no fear. That's why we can use them." Margulis chuckled slightly.

"I've heard that Realians feel fear as well."

"All things fear their own death. But Realians are strongly connected to each other by their subconscious. They never reject each other. Even if their body disappears, they are still connected at the subconscious level. That's what makes them different from people," added Kevin.

"In order to control the Zohar, we must use Lemegeton and convey human will from the Vessels of Anime via the U.M.N. But that results in direct contact with U-DO and U-DO invokes primal fear in human beings. Humans reject others. Those who are rejected are overcome with fear of isolation. That fear is even stronger than that of death since humans are weak. If we had the original source of the Lemegeton, then things might be different, but we are limited in what we can do with this emulation that's based on incomplete data. And because of that deficiency, we've already wasted one transgenic type unit," continued Shion's Father.

"Is all that worth the end result?" Asked my Father.

"But of course, the end result is the accomplishment of our objectives," said Margulis.

"What the hell is Lemegeton?" I whispered.

"A Zohar control program created back in the days of Lost Jerusalem," explained Shion.

"The Realian consciousness unavoidably suffers stress since it acts as a wall to suppress the human fear of U-DO." Stated Kevin.

"At any rate, we'll take care of the problems. There's nothing to worry about. A certain company has agreed to support us as well. Of course, it's all unofficial," said Shion's Father. Margulis looked over at him.

"Vector, I presume. Is it safe?"

"All that matters are results. That's the only thing any business cares about. But if that Lord Sergius learns of Vector's involvement, he's not going to be happy."

"Then he won't know. And we will have a new master soon enough," said Margulis as he began to walk away.

"I'd be careful saying things like that, commander. The walls have ears, you know." Said Shion's Father as he and Kevin followed Margulis. My Father stayed behind and opened up a Connection Gear and started typing something. He put it away quickly afterwards.

"This is the first step. I've got all the data I need to create it," said my Father. He opened a portal of darkness and left. What did he need data for, and why was he tagging along with people like them? The more I saw this, the less sense it made. Shion let out a sigh.

"Dad, I can't believe you. You betrayed Mom and me and everyone." She said. We moved onward. After a few more corridors and an elevator we finally arrived at the hangar where the Vessels of Anima were kept. It was a room big enough to fit many AWMS in here. It was very dark and cold in here, I have no idea why though. On the lower level was 12 red cages. Six on each side of the platform.

"Hoo-whee! This is a nice setup! I'm getting excited just looking at it! Ha, ha, ha!" Exclaimed Professor.

"This is it, huh?" Asked Jr.

"Those cages should contain the Vessels of Anima," explained Shion. The Professor started typing something on a console.

"A little bit of this, and that, and Enter!" He said. We went to the lower level as the doors to each cage opened up. All of them were loaded with smoke/steam and inside some of them were ES Crafts.

"Amazing!" Exclaimed MOMO. Jr approached one of the cages.

"Look at that! This is... Simeon!" He said.

"Zebulum, and Dinah's names are here, too," added Shion.

"There are 11 cages containing the Vessels of Anima: Simeon, Dinah, Zebulum, Reuben, Levi, Issachar, Gad, Joseph, Dan, Naphtali, and finally, Judah. Of those, there are three capable of being operated as E.S. craft. And as you can see, Asher's cage is empty." Explained KOS-MOS.

"Wait a minute! What's going on? The E.S.s were developed at Vector. What are they doing here?" Asked Shion.

"It's just like what Margulis said, Heinlein from Hyams and Wilhelm of Vector oversee the weapons at this facility. The two of them may have…made some sort of exchange…which just might have involved the Vessels of Anima. Backdoor weapons deals are so common these days, even the tabloids wouldn't bother printing anything about it," stated Jin.

"_Wilhelm? As in THE Wilhelm? The guy who's supposedly the leader of the Testaments?" _I asked in my thoughts.

"Basically these are so valuable, that they're even more important than reputation or profit concerns," added Jr.

"Knock it off!" Shouted the Professor as he smacked Jr with a wrench. Jr bent forward from the impact and rubbed the back of head while glaring at Professor. "What are you babbling about? Prepare each of your E.S.s! Transport them to their respective cargo holds, now!" Exclaimed Professor. Shion and the others Transported their E.S.'s and put them next to the Vessel of Anima that went with each individual mobile weapon. "Scott! Retrieve the Vessels of Anima."

"Yes, Professor!" Said Scott as he typed things into the console. Three Vessels of Anima rose up out of the cages and into E.S.'s that they went with. Jr, chaos, and I walked over to Professor.

"What about Asher? The cage is empty!" Questioned Jr.

"I know that! I thought we'd be able to use a different Vessel, but it seems that won't work," explained Professor as he looked up at the Vessel-less Asher.

"Don't tell me we can't use Asher!" Whined Jr.

"Oh, stop whining." Scott looked over at Jr.

"We've got another reactor for Asher," he added.

"We originally developed it for Erde, so its capabilities are top-class!" Exclaimed Professor with a look of pride on his face.

"Are you sure it's going to be okay to use some weird thing like that?!" Asked Jr a little worried. He looked over at his co-pilot with a look that was probably a plea for help. "chaos, say something!"

"Well, we'll just have to trust the Professor. And it's not like we have any other choice," commented chaos. Scott and Professor started laughing.

"I have a really bad feeling about this..." Said Jr with a tone of worry. After awhile, the reactor was installed into Asher. I was a bit worried that we would be discovered during this process of assembling the ES crafts. But it seems like we managed to make it through without any incidents.

"Okay, this should stop your complaining. It's ready to fight any time!" Stated the Professor as he held up his hand and pointed at Asher.

"Wow, not bad. Not bad at all," said Jr.

"Now I just need to figure out what I'm going to do for a Mobile Weapon," I said.

"I told you that you should have taken that AWMS you used back at the CAT Facility," insisted Jr.

"In retrospect... you're right." I said. Suddenly an alarm went off.

"What the hell? Have we been caught?" Asked Jr.

"Well yes, of course! After all, we're using their mainframe to get these things assembled. So, of course they noticed us!" Exclaimed Professor as if it was really obvious.

"It's like sending a message: 'We're using your stuff without permission.'" Added Scott.

"chaos..." Whined Jr as he looked over at chaos, again looking for advice or help. With a simple shrug, chaos spoke.

"Oh well, I guess we better hurry up and get going," he said casually. Jr and chaos got into Asher and joined up with Shion and the others. Scott and Professor split up, Scott was onboard the Reuben. Professor was in the Dinah, I guess it helps that the Dinah can hold up to three people. But this left me with one problem. I turned on a COM channel to speak to Shion and the others while they were inside their E.S.s

"What about me?" I asked.

"Unfortunately, we don't have any more seats for you. And it's too risky to have you on the shoulders of one of our ES crafts. You'll have to find another route to get out of here," said Jin.

"Are you kidding me? The way we took is probably already loaded with a bunch of soldiers chasing after us! And there is no guarantee that there is another way out of here!"

"Alex, you have a much higher chance of survival by finding another route. Without a mobile weapon you are extremely vulnerable," added KOS-MOS.

"Good luck, Alex," said Shion. The four E.S.s turned around and headed towards a large door. Suddenly they stopped as they started glowing again.

"What's going on?! They're not going to shut down again, are they?" Asked Jr.

"No. This is the Vessels of Anima resonating with our wills," said chaos.

"What? With our wills?"

"Our consciousnesses and the Vessels of Anima have begun to synchronize," added Jin.

"So this is what Virgil meant when he said we're being "compelled" to ride them?" Asked Jr. He looked over and saw me still standing there. "The hell you waiting for, Alex? Get going!" I nodded.

"Right, I'm going now!" I said as I ran towards a set of stairs that lead up to a small elevator.

"We're screwed," said the Dark Horizon.

"Tell me about it!" I shouted. I went up the elevator and I walked through a series of narrow corridors. Eventually I found myself going down several flights of stairs. After awhile I reached a door. I went through it and found myself inside a large hangar with multiple AWMS in rows through out the room. I noticed there were guards walking around as well. As one started nearing my location I hid behind a row of crates. As he left I got up and ran to another hiding spot. I saw a row of AWMS beyond the walkway I was on. It was a very standard Ormus issued AWMS. A simple green awms with a smooth and round body. It was equipped with a laser rifle and that was it. As I was about to make a break for the AWMS it I saw several guards coming in different directions. It didn't matter if I tried to hide, because at some point one of them would see me because of where I was positioned. I looked to my right and saw a mobile weapon of some sort covered in a large cloth. Without thinking I scrambled onto the mobile weapon and under the cloth. I slipped and landed inside the dual-cockpit. To remain hidden I got into the Main Pilot position and waited. If I waited for it to become night there would be less guards. That seemed like my only choice.

Suddenly the cockpit door closed. And to make things go from bad to worse the mobile weapon started moving along some track. I felt the AWMS being picked up by hooks and raised onto a launch platform. After what seemed like a few minutes of preparation, there was a voice.

"Omega Universitas, clear for Launch!" The power turned on and the walls of the cockpit vanished like they always do.

"_Omega Universitas? Why is this AWMS here?_" I asked in my thoughts.

"_Talk about coincidence," _said the Dark Horizon.

"_Yea, really." _The wall ahead of Omega Universitas opened up. I could see daylight... which was a relief.

"Capture those AWMS at any cost!" Shouted a voice over the COM Channel. A very familiar voice too. Where have I heard that voice before? Suddenly Omega Universitas shot down the launching ramp and started flying off in the air above the city.

"Where are you going?" I asked. Universitas didn't reply, it just kept on flying towards it's destination. Suddenly I heard a transmission going through the channel.

"…intruder…Zohar…test subject……provide……curity…there's no time…no……postpone the connection experiment. Number…1…6…5, Aoi Uzuki is being prepped…in…hospital ward…" Said one voice.

"Aoi... Uzuki?" Asked Shion's voice.

"Transport the test subject!"

"MOTHER!" Shouted Shion on the other line. There were various sounds coming from the line, like the sound of a cockpit opening.

"Shion. Tell me where you are going. Acting alone under the current circumstances would be extremely..." Said KOS-MOS.

" I'm sorry! I have to save my mom!" Exclaimed Shion.

"Are you kidding me? We have almost an entire military pursuing us and she's going back?" I exclaimed.

"We have to stop her!" Said the Dark Horizon.

"You're right, let's go!" I paused and let out a sigh. "First we have to figure out how to get control over this thing." The Dark Horizon let out a sigh.

"This can't be happening..." He said with a groan. I started typing things and pressing buttons trying to get this thing under control like last time. But it was harder for some reason. It was as if Omega Universitas was fighting to keep control. It arrived at platform, when I saw who was on this platform I let out gasp as I realized what this thing had been sent to attack. The four E.S.'s! Dinah was facing a small elevator on the side, and I could sense Shion's scent moving away from our location. Asher, Reuben, and Zebulum were all looking in the same direction. Suddenly a laser beam shot out of Omega Universitas' hand toward Asher. Asher got out of the way in time and now all four E.S.'s were looking at me. I started slamming panels and kicking anything I could kick.

"HEY! If they attack us, your as good as destroyed and I'm as good as dead!" There was no response. "Dammit, how do I open a channel?" I pressed a button and there was a beep.

"An enemy mobile weapon craft," said Jin.

"Get the hell out of our way!" Exclaimed Jr.

"I am not the enemy! This is Alex Rothrock! Repeat! This is Alex Rothrock!" I shouted. Apparently that switch only allowed me to hear them but not let me speak to them. Suddenly Omega Universitas fell out of fighting stance and floated in the air limply. "What's going on?" My comrades seem to notice something was up as well.

"What the hell is wrong with this guy?" Asked Jr. Suddenly I saw a red light appear at my ankles and slowly rise up my body. Almost as if I was being scanned. Suddenly a new screen appeared. It said the words: ALEX ROTHROCK, THE CROSSER/REUEL THE WIELDER... DEACTIVATING AI PILOT... WELCOME... I AM... OMEGA UNIVERSITAS.

I looked at the controls and quickly figured out what did what due to my experience with this machine before. I pressed a button and opened up a channel.

"This is Alex Rothrock. I found a way to turn that crazy AI off. I now have control over Omega Universitas," I said.

"So you were able to make it out okay after all," said Jr with a tone of amusement in his voice.

"But why is that weapon craft here?" Asked Ziggy.

"Beats me, I just took this as a chance to get a Mobile Weapon," I said.

"_Actually you didn't plan any of this. It was entirely an accident." _Said the Dark Horizon.

"_Ah details, who needs 'em?" _Reuben looked over at Dinah.

"KOS-MOS, what's Shion's position?" Asked Jin.

"She's moving through the 13th Administration wing," said KOS-MOS.

"We'll get her back!" Exclaimed Jr. Right then my motion detector picked up several enemies. The doors the lead down towards Labyrinthos opened up and multiple Ormus AWMS came pouring out. "More of them?" We started fighting units as they came towards us. As I smashed the head off of an AWMS unit, I heard the enemy chatter over the COM Channel.

"Approach with caution! Omega Universitas has gone rampant! I repeat! Omega Universitas has gone rampant!" Exclaimed the person. They must still think that this craft is under AI control. We continued fighting but as it progressed it slowly became a bit overwhelming.

"Dammit! They just keep on coming!" Exclaimed Jr. As he destroyed another Mobile Weapon.

"Jr., we should retreat for now," suggested Jin.

"Retreat? But then Shion will..."

"It's all right. Shion's not a child. She'll manage something on her own. If we stay here, we'll be in trouble."

"He's right Jr. They're numbers are multiplying! The threat meter is going up like no tomorrow!" I exclaimed as I threw an AWMS at another two like a projectile weapon.

"What now? Jr., we won't last much longer!" Exclaimed Ziggy.

"We've got to escape, now!" Insisted Jin.

"Dammit. Okay then, let's head back to the Elsa!" Ordered Jr. We fought off any AWMS that was right on our tail as we flew upwards and escaped. We flew away from Labyrinthos as quickly as possible. But as we returned to the limestone cave, the location of the Elsa, I couldn't shake this feeling that Shion was in trouble. After awhile I put the thought aside, she can take care of herself. It's only a matter of time before she walks into the Elsa's doors as if nothing ever happened... right?

* * *

_So is Alex's prediction right? The group if running out of time, The Miltian Conflict is in a mere matter of days. At any rate, please review! _


	11. Miltia's Nightmare

Here it is folks! The next chapter! But now for the Disclaimer.

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Ocean, Kingdom Hearts, or Xenosaga.

* * *

Chapter 11: Miltia's Nightmare

The Klausian Investigation team had been on Styx surface for several hours now. They had been searching the designated locations, looking for their target. Maria had been placed in charge of Alpha team, much to her dismay. Sure she was accompanied by old friends, but she didn't want to be in charge of a team. She already had her fill of leadership by becoming the leader of Quark several years back. On her team was Cliff, Mirage, Steeg, and Lancar. They sped down the wasteland plateau of Styx as they headed for their next destination on hover bikes.

"How much further is it?" Shouted Cliff.

"Not to far from here," responded Mirage. Sure enough they arrived a few minutes later. Maria got off her hover bike, took out her canteen, and drank some water. She placed the canteen back onto her belt and looked at her team.

"According to the map, it's just beyond that hill," she said. There was a beep coming from Maria's communicator. She pulled it out and turned it on. "This is Alpha Leader."

"This is Gamma Leader. We've joined up with Beta Team and have searched both sights. The target is in neither place," said Gamma Leader.

"Understood. Rendevous with us here. If this isn't a ghost chase, than this is the target." Maria turned off her communicator.

"I hope the target is down there. I would hate to have found out we wasted our time coming here," said Cliff.

"Only one way to find out," said Maria as she put her goggles on. Maria and her team went to the top of the hill and saw a flat plain of sand with ruins scattered here and there. Mostly remains of pillars. But in some areas were remains of something that was probably once a massive temple. Maria walked closer to the middle of the large plain. She pulled out a device and held it towards the center. There was a beeping sound as the reading on the device went off the scale. Maria smirked and looked ahead. "There it is. The source of the energy reading."

"So it isn't a hoax..." Commented Mirage.

"But why would these ruins be giving off an energy reading now? The last time anything on this planet was activated was 2 years ago when we used the Time Gate," Asked Cliff. Maria sighed and shook her head.

"I don't know. It must have something to do with what that Time Gate said," stated Maria.

"Ah yes, the Time Gate's cryptic message," said Lancar. The group thought about what the Time Gate had said only an hour ago.

* * *

_The shuttle had landed a short distance away from the Time Gate. The three groups gathered around the ancient object. Maria looked up at it and let out a sigh. _

"_Two years ago... seems like that was so long ago," she said._

"_I just hope we never have to do something like that again," added Cliff. Suddenly the Time Gate shifted into active mode. _

"_Way to jinx it, Cliff," said Mirage sarcastically. _

"_Don't look at me!" He protested. _

"_But how could it have activated? That connection between 4D space and our Universe was closed off." _Added Maria.

"_The time draws near... the time of the Tri-Unification. The beginning of the end." Bellowed the Time Gate. _

"_The beginning of the end?" _

"_Already the Arks of Union have entered standby phase. It is merely a mater of time before the process begins. If the cycle is not broken, the three shall be destroyed. Heed my warning." The Time Gate became inactive. There was dead silence for several minutes. No one dared to speak as the Time Gate's message echoed in their minds. After awhile, Cliff broke the silence. _

"_What the hell was that about?" He asked. _

"

* * *

"The Arks of Union... the Tri-Unification... Destruction... of the three..." Repeated Maria as the memory came to her. She looked up at the sky. _"I don't understand what's going on, it doesn't even make any sense..." _Maria let out a sigh.

* * *

IN ANSEM'S COMPUTER ROOM...

* * *

Luther had finished his work on a file fragment he found on the disc. He called everyone together as he opened it for the first time. A window popped up with some text on it. It read: "When Abel awakes, his cradle, the Ark, shall appear. It shall seek the eternal circle – Zarathustra."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Asked Sora.

"The object Alex is looking for... it is called Zarathustra," explained King Mickey.

"But what about the part with that Cradle and Abel?" Asked Goofy. Luther shook his head.

"That, I have no idea. I'd ask Alex, but I can't contact him," said Luther.

"And I haven't gotten any letters from him ever since he had gone to investigate the other landmass," said King Mickey with a tone of worry.

"He should have something to report by now, it is unusual for Alex to not at least post frequent updates," said Luther. Luther paused for a moment, but then spoke up again. "It is possible that he is having equipment troubles... I hope."

"What do you propose?" Asked Leon.

"Continue work on the disc. And if need be, we will head to the landmass and fight whatever comes through the gate," said King Mickey.

* * *

BACK ON THE ELSA...

* * *

"There have been some minor adjustments, it's really nothing big. But it might help. The vest has been enhanced to make it stronger and provide more protection. The helmet software now has a motion tracker, a feature you can turn off and on. Regardless of the minor changes, you could say the suit has been upgraded to a Mark II," said Professor as he handed me the suit all folded up neatly with the helmet on top.

"Thanks, Professor and Scott," I said.

"By the way, have you heard any news about Shion?" Asked Scott. I shook my head.

"Not even a whisper." Scott and Professor sighed.

"It's already been a day, I hope that girl is alright," said Professor.

"Everyone is worried about her. It's only going to get worse the longer she's gone. And with the Miltian Conflict drawing closer we are running out of time," I said.

"Yes, I don't know how much longer we can stay till the latent heat energy destroys this Universe," said Professor gravely. Another day passed and there was still no word about Shion. No one really spoke to each other all that much. Other than asking if anyone knew anything about Shion. During the second day I wrote a letter that would keep the King up to date on my progress... he's going to have to do a lot of reading when I send them. Already the letters have been piling up on my desk.

"You're worried, aren't you?" Asked the Dark Horizon as he appeared in my hand.

"Yeah, it's already been two days and there has been no word from Shion. That's not like her."

"Hey, don't worry about it. She'll think of something. And if worst comes to worst you could find out where she is by searching for her scent."

"You're right." I paused for a moment. "Hey... You've never told me your name, after all the time we've been together. I mean... you do have a name other than 'Dark Horizon', right?"

"Why bring that up now?" Asked the Dark Horizon.

"I need to get my mind off Shion and saving the Universes. It'll make me worry myself to death otherwise."

"Yes, I had a name once... many years ago."

"What is your name?"

"Larz' Aryan. Or Loth for short." I smirked.

"Alright, Larz it is. I'm tired of never having a name to call you by."

"That's the first time I've ever heard someone say my true name in so long."

"What kind of life did you have before you ended up as a Keyblade?" I asked.

"I'll make you a deal, Alex. When you unlock the Last Requirement, I'll tell you everything. Okay?" Asked Larz. I nodded.

"It's a deal, Larz."

"You know... I never told Reuel my name. Then again he never asked. You and him were two different people entirely. And yet, you remind me so much of him. Maybe it's you... maybe you are the one who will... no that's just a myth, forget I said anything."

"You'll tell me about that too someday right?" I asked.

"Of course. It's only a matter of time." Another day passed, and finally the day had come. The day of the Miltian Conflict. And there was still no sign of Shion. I sat in the Male Cabin with my eyes closed. The only other person inside the Cabin was Jin and he was silently thinking about something. I was searching for Shion's Scent and I was having a difficult time pinpointing her location. She was taking too long, it's time to find out where she is. After awhile I let out a sigh of frustration. I had never searched for a scent further than a of couple miles at most. The city just barely touched that range.

"_This isn't working. I'm going to have to go outside and get closer to the city before I can pick up anything." _I said in my thoughts. I began to walk towards the door when all of a sudden, Jin spoke up.

"Where are you off to?" He asked. I looked over at him.

"I'm going to go outside for a few minutes. I could use a breath of fresh air," I said.

"Be careful, the Miltian Conflict will be starting very soon." I nodded and I left the room. I went outside the Elsa and I walked down starts the entrance to the forest path. Shion's scent was still not all that strong. So I would have to move closer to the city. All of a sudden I saw someone running up the path towards me. It was Febronia and she seemed like she was in a hurry.

"Febronia? What's up?" I asked as she got closer. She stopped running and looked over at me.

"I have bad news, I must tell it to you and your friends." Said Febronia.

"Bad news? What's happened?"

"Your friend is in trouble. She is being held in Labyrinthos."

"_Our friend..." _That's when I let out a gasp. _"Shion!" _I looked up towards the Limestone cave. "No time to lose then, let's go and tell everyone else!" I exclaimed. Feb and I ran up the pathway and back towards the Elsa. As we arrived the door opened and MOMO walked through.

"Febronia! What's wrong?" She asked, quickly noticing that Febronia looked worried.

"I have something I need to tell everyone. There's no time. Hurry!" Exclaimed Febronia. I looked over at MOMO.

"You-know-who apparently got caught when we stole the you-know-what's," I said. MOMO instantly knew what I was talking about.

"Oh no! We have to get everyone together!" Exclaimed MOMO. She ran into the Elsa, Febronia and I followed. I looked over at Febronia.

"Jr will most likely be on the bridge. Wait for us there, then you can give us the details!" Febronia nodded and headed towards the bridge. MOMO walked over to me.

"I'll go check the lounge and the cabins! You check the basements and the hangar." Said MOMO. I nodded.

"Alright, I'm on it!" I said as I ran towards the elevator. Upon reaching the basement I started running and nearly ran into chaos but didn't thanks to my quick reflexes... and the fact that I'm good at stopping dead in my tracks... sometimes.

"What's up Alex? You look worried," said chaos.

"Febronia's here, she says that Shion's in trouble! We're supposed to meet at the bridge so that we can get the details!" chaos nodded.

"Alright, I'll head up there now. KOS-MOS is in the lab." As quickly as he could, chaos headed toward the elevator. I continued down the hallway and went to the lowest level where the basement was located. I ran into the lab just in time to see KOS-MOS about to lay down in her maintenance bed.

"KOS-MOS! Wait!" KOS-MOS stopped in place and looked over at me.

"Alex, I have several upgrades installed, but I need to shut down for an hour for them to take effect. You'll have to wait until I am done if you want to have a sparing match," said KOS-MOS.

"I'm not here to spare. I have some news about Shion. She's in trouble!" Upon mentioning the fact that Shion was in trouble, I instantly had KOS-MOS' undivided attention.

"What do you mean?"

"Febronia is here with the details, she's waiting for us at the bridge."

"Understood. I will head to the bridge ASAP." KOS-MOS and I went up to the bridge. Everyone had gathered there by now.

"What's up?" Asked Jr as he looked over at Febronia.

"Your friend is in danger. She's being held prisoner inside Labyrinthos. Commander Margulis plans to get information from her by force," said Febronia.

"The colonel?" Exclaimed Jin.

"Don't tell me it's already too late!" Exclaimed Allen.

"No, she's still all right. There's someone inside taking action to aid her. But I don't think it will delay them for long," explained Febronia.

"_I wonder who that someone is?" _I asked in my thoughts.

"I see. But if we take on U-TIC with our current capability, we're going to suffer a lot of damage," said Jr.

"Not necessarily," said Jin. Jr looked over at Jin with a look of confusion.

"Jin?"

"Don't you see? You and chaos should know what's about to happen," said Jin. Jr thought for a moment and then his eyes widened as he realized what Jin was talking about.

"Oh!"

"If this world is proceeding as we know it, then the third descent operation will begin soon. When it begins, U-TIC will be in a full-scale battle against the Federation," added chaos.

"And we know the details of that battle from beginning to end. We can use this to our advantage," said Jin.

"We'll slip past them in the midst of everything and rescue Shion," said chaos.

"Sounds like a plan. Let's do it!" Exclaimed Jr. Jin looked over at Allen.

"Now, let's go," he said. Allen realized what Jin was implying and looked startled and surprised.

"What? Me, too?" He asked, almost as if he thought he heard Jin wrong. I wasn't expecting Allen to be taken along with us.

"You're worried about Shion, aren't you? She needs someone to support her. Please lend us your help." Allen acknowledged this and smiled.

"All right. I'll accompany you!"

"Everyone, get ready! We leave in a few minutes," exclaimed Jr. As we dispersed we went and got whatever we needed. I went into the Male Cabin and started putting on the Mark II suit. As I finished putting on the first part of the suit, the door opened and Allen walked in.

"You're coming with us, huh?" I asked as I put the vest on.

"Yeah. I'll do anything to help the Chief," said Allen. He walked over to a mini closet and opened it. He pulled out a Compound Crossbow, checked it's ammo count, and attached it to his belt. "I may not have much experience in fighting, but I'll do my best!" I put on my helmet and activated it.

"That's the spirit, Allen." I said. We met at the exit and left for Labyrinthos. As we continued down towards Labyrinthos we were stopped as chaos pointed up at the sky.

"Jr., look!" He said. We all looked up at the sky and saw a fleet of Federation ships and drop ships launching from them.

"Yeah. I know. It's the beginning…of this planet's nightmare," said Jr.

"When does the fighting start?" I asked.

"Not too long from now," said Jin. "A mere matter of minutes at most. But it won't get bad until much later." We continued onwards. We arrived at the ANT Facility to see it was in complete and total chaos. U-TIC Soldiers were running all over the place.

"It looks like things have gotten quite hectic here," said chaos.

"The URTVs are descending. This is going to be a battlefield soon. In a few hours, Federation troops will enter Labyrinthos. There's no time to lose. We have to hurry and rescue Shion!" Explained Jr.

"It's good that we know all these details about the upcoming battle," I said.

"Now if only we knew the exact location of where Shion is being held," said Ziggy.

"Hold on," I said. I closed my eyes and focused on finding Shion's scent.

"Ah, she's beyond that red door with the 13 over it," I said.

"Alright then, let's save the chief!" Said Allen. We entered the ANT Facility, there was no one there guarding the entrance to Labyrinthos this time. I guess all the soldiers were too busy fighting against the Federation. So we proceeded down to the 13th Elevator. From there we proceeded down a series of narrow corridors and stairs. After awhile we came to a door and we could hear voices inside.

"It's... Pellegri!" Exclaimed Jin. We paused and listened in to see what was going on.

"Now that the project has gone into operation, you no longer have any value. I'll dispose of you along with her," said Pellegri. We bursted into the room. It was a small control room with a window allowing us to see into the white interrogation room. Shion was standing next to her Father, Suou Uzuki. So he must have been the guy who was helping us from within. He must have been trying to free Shion when he got caught. In this room were several U-TIC soldiers and Pellegri, the same woman who was at Margulis side on that Ormus ship. Only she was wearing a federation uniform. It was odd to see her dressed like that since she was a member of U-TIC.

"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid that's not acceptable," said Jin. Pellegri seemed startled about the fact that we just bursted in. She seemed especially startled by Jin's appearance.

"Jin Uzuki? So you were the one who was receiving the data. You and your father have outdone yourselves," she said.

"Pellegri… You've become skilled at playing the villain, yourself," responded Jin.

"Are you disappointed in me? You're right. I didn't stay the girl you knew. And you look like you've grown older, as well."

"You look as young as ever. I envy you. I would have preferred that we met again under different circumstances." Pellegri glared at Jin.

"You never change. You were always like that. You're incapable of acknowledging others," she said.

"And you ignored my feelings and ran off to the Colonel."

"Ran off to? No, I returned. Returned to where I belong." Jin seemed startled by this comment.

"The Colonel is where you belong?" Asked Jin. His look of shock quickly turned into anger. "Why?! Why do you care so much about him?"

"You never thought about my needs. You just manipulate people to suit your own. You could never understand. This is the destiny of my heritage." Jin closed his eyes and looked away. I didn't understand what was going on. But it was clear that there was some sort of connection between Jin and Pellegri.

"_This is like what happened a few months ago... only far more sour," _said Larz in my thoughts.

"_Tell me about it, those were some tough days afterwards." _I said. Sometimes relationships just fall apart. It's just one of those things that can happen.

"Pellegri..." Said Jin.

"Don't worry, you'll no longer have to trouble yourself." Pellegri pulled out a pole and pressed a button. The pole extended and a medium sized blade shot out the front, creating a spear. "Since I'm going to put an end to you right here!" Pellegri's soldiers pulled out their guns and aimed at us. One of them was quickly put down by Jr with a single bullet. The other one was much quicker. He whipped out a grenade.

"Take cover!" Shouted Jr. Just as he was about to throw it an arrow shot right into him and he fell over, dropping the non-active grenade to the ground. I looked over to see Allen standing there with his Crossbow.

"That... was too close," he said.

"Nicely done, Allen," said Jr with an impressed tone in his voice.

"The fool! The last thing you want to do is throw a grenade in close quarters like this!" Exclaimed Pellegri. "I'll have to suggest doubling the length of basics for future soldiers," she muttered.

"So, are you going to surrender now?" I asked. Pellegri glared at me.

"What? Absolutely not! I don't need any help taking you fools out!" She shouted. Jin took several steps forward ahead of the group.

"I'll handle this," he said. Pellegri smirked.

"I was hoping we would get a chance to fight one-on-one. Now I can finish you off myself!" Pellegri charged towards Jin and thrusted her spear at him. In the blink of any eye, Jin's sword had been drawn and he blocked the attack. After a brief struggle he slashed at Pellegri twice, but she blocked both strikes with the long pole of her spear. She jabbed the spear at Jin several times but he dodged the first two and blocked the last attack. Jin slashed at Pellegri again only this time she attempted to dodge the attack. She wasn't fast enough and her right cheek got a cut on it. She didn't bother to wipe the blood off. Instead she jabbed at Jin with her spear again. Jin flipped over Pellegri and hit her in the back of the head. She collapsed onto the floor and didn't get back up.

"I'd love to continue this, but we don't have time for that right now," said Jin. Jin sheathed his sword and looked towards the interrogation room. "Let's find a way in there!" We left this room and started looking for a way into the interrogation room.

* * *

INSIDE THE INTERROGATION ROOM

* * *

"What happened?" Asked Suou as he looked up at the window. Shion shook her head.

"Don't worry. It looks like my friends have come to rescue me," she responded. Suou nodded and he looked over at the door.

"That's a relief. Please take care of my daughter."

"I will. I promise." Suou walked towards the door he tried opening it but nothing happened.

"Agh! Open up already!" He exclaimed as he tried opening it again. Suddenly it slid open and Aldax stood there. Suou seemed surprised at the appearance of his enigmatic ally. "Professor Rothrock? What are you doing here?"

"Giving you a hand. They changed the password for this door because they felt that they couldn't trust you," answered Aldax.

"How did you get the code?" Aldax shrugged.

"I didn't. I just hacked into the system and rewrote the password."

"You could get into a lot of trouble for helping me and helping her escape."

"Same as you. Besides, they are too busy fighting with the Federation to be worried about us."

"Your Aldax... Your Alex's Father..." Said Shion. Aldax didn't seemed surprised that Shion knew this. But Suou on the other hand was pretty shocked.

"What?" He asked. He looked over at Aldax. "That's the first I've ever heard of you having a son."

"I never bothered to mention it." Aldax looked over at Shion. "But if you know him... then maybe it is you... What I sensed had been... ah.. It makes sense now." Aldax left the room and opened a portal of Darkness.

"Professor Rothrock..." Suou shook his head. "He is truly an enigma." Suou left the room as well.

We finally arrived at a door that lead into the Interrogation room. We opened it and walked inside.

"Shion!" Said Jin happily.

"Jin… Dad, he-he came to rescue me," said Shion.

"I know."

"He said he's gonna save Mom. He said he'd protect his family, even if it meant sacrificing himself."

"Yes. Father worried about you until the very end."

"Jin, Shion is at the church. I have to rescue her. I have to keep my promise to Dad." We left Labyrinthos. As we stepped outside the ANT Facility we noticed the area around us had changed. There were bits of rubble here and there, buildings were starting to fall apart or were damaged by explosions. There was the constant sounds of gunfire and explosions. Every now and then you could hear someone screaming.

"The descent operation should have progressed quite a bit. They must be fighting in the city by now. The situation will only worsen when the Song of Nephilim, is activated. Let's hurry," said Jin.

"Don't have to tell me twice," I said as we all started running. As we ran across a bridge, MOMO suddenly jumped towards Jr and tackled him to the ground. I looked up to see something falling down to the ground. Whatever it was it hit the ground hard and caused the ground to shake a little bit, resulting in almost all of us falling to the ground. When the smoke cleared we could see what looked like a rifle used by AWMS and ES craft. And then all of a sudden a craft that looked a lot like Asher flew above our heads.

"Dammit! Try thinkin' about what's below when you're fighting!" Exclaimed Jr from the ground.

"Sorry..." Said chaos.

"Wait, was that you up there just now?" I asked.

"Yes, me and Canaan are on that ES." We got up and continued running. We came to an area littered with large bits of ruble and small fires. There were several ruined vehicles and AWMS units scattered here and there. As we were running I swear I could hear something... like a song. We all stopped, probably because everyone heard it too. It was a scary song, just hearing it gave me the sense of a bad omen.

"That…song…" Said Shion. Suddenly a pillar of light shot out of a building.

"What the hell is that?" I asked.

"It is the Song…of Nephilim," explained chaos.

"It's a requiem of the end. Song of destruction," said Jr.

"Then we need to hurry. There's not much time left!" Said Shion. We continued running through the rubble of the city. Near the entrance of the city, Shion showed us a short cut to the church. As we left the chaos of the city and into the more or less quiet forest, the sound of the battle started to quiet down a little but we could still hear it. As we neared the church there was the sound of gun shots.

"Ah crap," I said.

"Oh no!" Said Shion. We started running again towards the church. The doors were already hanging open. We bursted through them, but nothing could have prepared me for the hell that awaited. Combat Realians were inside the church, but they were acting very strange. They were moaning and groaning like Zombies and they were acting like them too. There were at least five of them in here right now. Two of them were attacking Virgil. Febronia lay on the ground, dead. "Virgil!" Virgil looked over at us while struggling to keep the two realians off of him.

"Don't come any closer! You've gotta get away from here!" He shouted. That was about the moment that Shion saw Febronia's body.

"Feb?" She asked with a tone of sadness in her voice.

"Why are you just standing there?! Leave now! HURRY!" Shion pulled out her shield weapon thing and charged towards the realians in a berserk rage while screaming the entire way. I summoned Larz and charged towards a nearby Realian. This one had a pipe covered in blood. It slashed at me but I blocked the attack. As It brought it's pipe down on me I let out a quick slash that cut the pipe in half. Taking advantage of my stunned opponent, I slashed it's head off. I looked around to see that Shion and the others had finished off the other Realians as well. Virgil kneeled on the ground and slammed the stone floor in front of him again and again.

"Dammit. Dammit! You fool." He exclaimed as he looked at Febronia's dead body. I looked at Febronia again now that I was closer to the body. I gasped as I saw the damage. She was covered in her own blood and it looked like these Psycho Realians had torn open her body and started eating her. The result of that was just too gruesome for me to possibly describe. I tore my gaze away from the body, it was too much for me to look at.

"Get a hold of yourself! Feb died to save you! Now, stand up!" Exclaimed Shion with a tone of annoyance.

"Dammit. Dammit!" Virgil looked up and gasped. "Shion!"

"What?"

"Realians can share information, right?"

"Yes, they're capable of sharing the information from individual units."

"Shion's in danger. I have to save her."

"The girl…"

"I gave her the key to the old gate to Labyrinthos and sent her running. They probably sent that information to the others! I have to catch up to her! She's in danger!" Said Virgil.

"Okay. Grab on to me!" Shion helped Virgil get back up onto his feet, but she need to put his arm around her to keep him up.

"Thanks..." Said Virgil.

"We will go and look out for any enemies," said Jr. Everyone except KOS-MOS, Shion, and I went outside through the various doors. There was a pause of silence. After a few seconds, Shion looked back over at Virgil as they started walking slowly but surely.

"Virgil, why did you decide to help Shion?" She asked.

"Is there something strange about that? I'm a soldier, but I'm still human. I have a heart." Virgil glared at nothing. "I'm not like those Realian cannibals!" Shion let out a sigh, almost as if it was a sigh of frustration. "What's wrong?" Shion pulled out a Connection Gear from her pocket.

"Take this." Virgil looked confused as he took the Connection Gear.

"What is it?"

"It's the Realian self-destruct code." Virgil's look of confusion changed to shock after hearing this.

"How do you have that?" He asked.

"I can't tell you that, but it could come in handy. Only use it as a last resort."

"All right." Jr came in through the front door again.

"Damn it! There are already enemies in front." He said. Virgil grunted.

"Damn, it's them!" He said. I looked behind us to see Psycho Realians coming out of the small doorway next to the altar. There were some coming through the sides, and through the front door.

"Shion, we're surrounded!" Exclaimed Ziggy. The two Realians blocking the front door were killed by Jin from behind. Then he and Allen walked through.

"Shion, this way. There are fewer enemies in front. We'll break through!" We began to retreat through the front door. But Shion was slowed down by Virgil as he was wounded and could not move easily.

"Shion, hurry!" Exclaimed MOMO.

"Just a little further! Hang in there!" Said Shion.

"Leave me behind. I'm in no shape to run. I'm just going to slow you down," insisted Virgil. Shion and Virgil were being chased by a group of Realians. They were moving slow as well, but slightly faster then Shion and Virgil.

"Come on, Virgil. Don't quit on me. We both know that's not like you," said Shion as she and Virgil neared the entrance.

"Heh! Not like me, huh? You got that right!" Exclaimed Virgil as he shoved Shion outside the Church and closed the front doors, then he locked them. Shion ran up to the door and started slamming it.

"Virgil! What are you doing?! Open up the door, now!" Shouted Shion as she slammed on the door.

"Please! Just promise…that you'll protect her!" Shouted Virgil through the door.

"But..." Started Shion.

"I know what I must do! Now go save the girl!" Shouted Virgil.

"Don't be stupid, Virgil! You are coming with us!" Exclaimed Shion. She looked over at me. "Alex! What are you standing around for? Open that door!" I was about to summon Larz when the memory of Ansem the Wise, in his final moments, echoed in my ears.

"_My heart is telling me what I must do! Please allow me to do what it says!" _I took several steps away from the door and shook my head.

"Alex? What are you doing?"

"He is doing what his heart commands him to do. There is nothing we can do to change that," I said. Shion glared at me and started slamming on the door again.

"Virgil! Open up that door!"

"You know something? Even after all of this, I never got your name," said Virgil.

"Virgil!" Suddenly there was an explosion inside the church. The rooftop exploded and started raining bits of stone and cement all over the place. The windows of the church had been destroyed by the explosion as well. The doors had been blown off their hinges as well, resulting in Shion been thrown back. After a few seconds of dead silence we entered the remains of the church. There was no sign of Virgil or the remains of the Realians. That must have been one hell of an explosion. Shion stepped into the middle of the church, nearby the altar. "Virgil. No…" She said sadly. Shion then started crying. As if Mother Nature shared the same sorrow, it started to rain. At first a drizzle and then a constant downpour. I removed my helmet and lowered my head. But amongst the rain drops I swear I could hear the faintest sound of... laughter? It grew louder and louder until I knew I wasn't imagining things. We looked up to see the Blue Testament, the Virgil from the Present, standing on the remains of the roof laughing. His mask vanished, revealing his face.

"Testament!" I exclaimed.

"How moving. That was so touching," said Virgil mockingly with a sneer on his face.

"Virgil!" Exclaimed Shion with a look of surprise. Virgil teleported down to the ground and walked towards Febronia's dead body.

"They did a number on her, huh? Now she's just an object. Oh, wait, she was already just a tool to begin with," said Virgil.

"How can you say that? She was trying to protect you," protested Shion angrily.

"She decided to do that on her own and then died on her own. Why should I be responsible?"

"_What a nice guy," _said Larz in my thoughts.

"Virgil!" Said Shion.

"And what about you? You love to go on about Realian rights, but you gave me that code. What made you change your mind?" Asked Virgil with a look of mock curiosity. He looked as if he already knew why. But why would he ask Shion that if he already knew?

"I-I wanted to save you, so I..." Started Shion.

"So you decided to off the Realians?" Shion shook her head furiosly.

"No! It's not like that!"

"What are you embarrassed about? That's basic human instinct." Virgil sat down next to Febronia's body. And then he started a long rant. "Humans are driven by impulse to destroy. Destruction serves as a way to feel out others and confirm your own existence. Then you try to find atonement to comfort yourself after you're unable to deny your instincts. I tried to live exactly like that. And you've lived for that some purpose! You disassembled Realians and dreamed of giving consciousness to inorganic matter. Comforting yourself for the hatred towards your father and anger over your mother's death. You're doing things you don't want to do, just to escape your own feelings of guilt. "Hypocrite"…the word doesn't even begin

to describe you. Be more true to yourself!"

"What makes you think you understand me?" Demanded Shion.

"Oh, I understand you. Because you and I are the same kind of person. What is it that drives you?" Shion gasped as she realized what Virgil was getting at. "That's right. Revenge. Only revenge drives you and me and that's the truth. Ideals crumble easily. Hope is like a mist before the morning sunrise of reality. That's exactly how I was. But then I learned. Nothing will change. There is a limit to will, the limit of this world in which everything is closed. Yes, that is what all of us came to understand." Shion shook her head again.

"Stop! I don't want to hear anymore! Virgil, you protected me as a child and now… Why do you do these things to tear at my heart?"

"Enough of this! What are you here for?" I demanded. Virgil looked at me and glared.

"That is none of your concern, half breed!"

"Why do you Testaments appear before me?! Why won't you leave me alone?" Demanded Shion. Virgil turned his attention back to Shion and his smirk returned. I guess he was more interested in playing mind games right now.

"Come on, now, that's not what you really feel. You're glad I still exist. You're happy he still exists," said Virgil.

"N-no, I..." Started Shion.

"Come. Come, and you will see. Then choose! Choose what you truly desire! You met him! He's with us!" Said Virgil with a smirk.

"I don't understand. He was a Testament. I can't just suddenly accept that!" Said Shion in denial.

"That's not what your will is saying. Your heart throbs for him. You feel passion for him. You want to see him, don't you? He wants to see you, too." The things I just heard started to piece together in my mind bit by bit. Whoever Virgil is referring to, they are clearly a Testament. I already knew the identities of three of the Testaments: Albedo, Voyager, Virgil, and then... there is the Red Testament. Yes, he is talking about the Red Testament.

"Stop it! Stop talking to me!" Shouted Shion as she held her hands to her head. Jin took a step towards Shion.

"Shion! You mustn't listen to him!" Said Jin. Jin drew his sword and slashed a wave of energy at Virgil. Suddenly a claw appeared and blocked the attack.

"Don't be foolish. This doesn't concern you. Just keep quiet, and stay out of my way!" Shouted Virgil as a demon appeared behind him. It was a blue monster with giant claws, red energy wings and a small head that lacked facial features... minus it's small mouth with razor sharp teeth.

"Oh crap, not another one of those things," I said. Virgil lowered his hood.

"Come at me with everything you've got! This thing doesn't know restraint!" Exclaimed Virgil. I aimed the Keyblade at Virgil. Almost immediately he charged at me. The monster behind him went into a berserk rage and started throwing it's claws down at me. I dodged to the side as Shion and Jin attacked Virgil, causing the monster thing to move back away from us. He teleported away from them and fired a wave of energy at us. Everyone got down on the ground or jumped over it as it flew by. We all got into position and ready to attack Virgil. He simply smirked at us while giving a glare. I was about to charge towards him when a voice came out of nowhere.

"Please, stop," said the voice. Virgil seemed to recognize the voice, and an expression of puzzlement appeared on his face. The monster behind him suddenly vanished.

"Please, don't confuse Shion any more." We all looked behind Virgil to see a transparent Febronia, glowing with blue light. Her back was turned and she was several feet away from Virgil. Virgil knew she was there, but he didn't bother to turn around to look at her.

"Wait, what is this? Just who the hell do you think you are showing up now?" He asked.

"Luis, why do you reject the truth? You can't change anything unless you accept…who you really are. You're the same as those who lost their bodies and wander aimlessly," said Febronia.

"Heh! You're no different, either. You're just like me, now that you've lost your body," said Virgil.

"Please. You must accept who you really are. You don't hate anyone. You just want to reject yourself, because you can't feel hatred."

"You don't know anything about me!"

"But, I do understand you. And you have come to understand us Realians as well." Virgil held his hand to his heart and he started laughing.

"And this was the result. Yeah, I came to understand, all right. I understand how pointless it all is!"

"Luis..."

"Enough talking! Do you really think that I'm still hanging onto you?! I feel nothing for any of you Realians!" Shouted Virgil as his voice wavered for a very brief moment.

"That's not true, and you know it, Luis. You have returned to this place for a reason. You chose to become a Testament, so you could return here. Because this moment proved who you once were."

"This is my reason? This is my proof? Don't make me laugh. I regret absolutely nothing. I am here precisely because I have finally accepted myself and this world! Those of you who reject this world, you could never understand!"

"We do not reject this world. We just want to believe in a new order that can be born from discord. We just want to believe that a single thought can change the entire world and shape the future," said Febronia.

"That is just wishful thinking. You're only clinging to what little hope you have left!"

"Anything can come true, if you wish for it to. Didn't our relationship prove that, Luis?"

"You died and left me! I have nothing to say to you!" Shouted Virgil in a wavering voice. Clearly he was starting to become upset.

"I know, you have suffered. My death tied your consciousness to this place. But I want to help you, Luis. I want to free you from this cursed place forever!" Virgil held his left hand to his heart again.

"Just leave me alone! You're already dead, Febronia!" He cried, almost on the verge of tears. Febronia turned around, came towards Virgil, and embraced him from behind.

"Luis. Although my body is dead, I am still here with you. I am right beside you. There's no reason for you to suffer," she said as she rested her head against his back.

"But I-I couldn't even save you." Febronia shook her head.

"No. You're wrong. You did save me. You taught me that by sharing all of our feelings that we would be able to change the world. And that alone was more than enough." Virgil looked up at the sky.

"Do you hate me? None of this would have ever happened…if you hadn't gotten involved. Why did you have to, why?" Virgil closed his eyes. "It's too much to

bear." There was several moments of silence, excluding the sound of the rain of course. "All I want-all I really want…is for you…"

"Let's go now, Luis. She can show us the way…to a future for both Humans and Realians." Suddenly sparkles of light appeared, in a few seconds they formed into a giant pillar of light. Virgil picked up Febronia's body and he and Febronia began to walk into the light. Shion ran towards where they had just been standing.

"No Feb, wait! What am I... What am I supposed to do now?" Cried Shion as tears start to fall down her cheeks. Febronia looked over at Shion.

"Shion. I know it may be painful for you. But the time has come now for you to decide that for yourself. Don't worry. Keep carrying on. Just carry out what you believe in your heart," she said comfortingly. "Have faith. Believe in yourself. Open your heart because she's right beside you." With that, the light vanished, taking Virgil and the two Febronia's with it.

"Feb! Please don't go! Feb!" Cried Shion as tears continued to fall, no, pour down her cheeks. "No! I don't understand anything anymore."

"Thank you, Shion." Echoed Febronia's voice. And then it went quiet, all that could be heard was the rain and Shion sobbing.

"_One down," _I said in my thoughts. I picked up my helmet and put it on.

"Feb..." Said Shion sadly.

"Shion!" Exclaimed Jin. Shion stopped crying and looked up at Jin.

"Jin?"

"Shion, stand up. I know you're in pain, but right now, we have to save the girl, we have to save you." KOS-MOS bent down and helped Shion back up onto her feet.

"Yeah, let's go!" Said Shion. We left the church and headed to the old transport gate near the other side of the forest. As we arrived we saw little Shion cornered by two Realians.

"No! Help!" Cried the little girl.

"Shion!" Exclaimed Shion.

"We have to stop them!" Said Ziggy. I looked over at him and he nodded. The two of us charged towards the Realians. I slashed one Realian through while Ziggy grabbed the other one from behind and broke it's neck. Shion quickly approached her younger self and placed her hand on the child's shoulder.

"It's okay. It's okay now," said Shion comfortingly. The young Shion didn't respond and continued crying. She then got up and ran towards the terminal. She started slamming it with her little fists.

"Mom's in…Daddy and Mom are in the hospital," said little Shion between sobs as she continued to slam the controls. The child looked at Shion. "Please, save Mom!"

"We will. Let's go save her together," said Shion reassuringly.

"Shion?" Asked Jr. Shion looked over at all of us.

"We can't leave her alone now like this. Besides, no one understands this girl's feeling better than..." She stopped in mid-sentence and looked back over at little Shion. "No matter what happens, I'll protect her." Shion took a card key from the ground, probably dropped by little Shion, and inserted it into the terminal. The old gate opened up with a rusty creek. "Dad should have headed to Mom's room. Let's head to Mom's room. It'll be faster to go through the Old Transport Gate to get to the Acute Neurosis Treatment Facility," Said Shion.

We went through the passageways of the old transport corridors. It was littered with crates and barrels. The U-TIC emblem was stamped on everything in here. So clearly U-TIC used to use it a lot way back when. We passed through the corridors and went up into the city. I couldn't help but gape in shock at the sight of the city now. Most of the fighting had already stopped, but now a lot of the city was on fire. There was fire everywhere, and rubble littered the ground, as did dead bodies. Some were soldiers while a disturbing amount of them were civilians. I walked towards two bodies in particular. One was off a little boy, the other a little girl. Both were lying on their stomachs with bloody holes in their backs. Who could possibly kill innocent children like that? I turned over both the bodies, their eyes were open, forever frozen on their faces was a look of terror. They had been trying to escape... or maybe to find their parents... but they never made it. I put them right next to each other and put their two hands together. I closed their eyes as well and then I stood up.

"Look up to the sky, may your souls escape the horror of this battle, may your souls find peace in eternal slumber." I said.

"What are you doing Alex? We need to hurry!" Shouted Shion from a distance.

"Coming!" I said as I ran towards them. We proceeded through the burning streets and approached the ANT Facility. We looked up at the sky to see a U-TIC helicopter tilting sharply in the air and falling to the ground.

"Incoming!" Shouted Ziggy. We started diving out of the way to avoid the falling helicopter. The crash resulted in me getting separated from the group. I got up and then I looked up just in time to see something jump from a building and land on me. I looked at the thing that fell on me and my eyes widened. It was one of those things we saw sleeping in those tanks at Labyrinthos. Well whatever the hell they were, they weren't sleeping now. It jabbed it's sword like claw at me. I rolled out of the way and got up to my feet and faced my foe. It looked at me and made a hissing sound. It slashed at me with it's dual claws. I jumped back away from it. Then I charged at it and slashed it. The attack hit... but it only did a little bit of damage to the creature. It just seemed to make it even more pissed off than it already was. I slashed it several more times and still only did minimal damage to it. It shot towards me and slashed at me. I tried to dodge to the side and I almost completely made it, but the creature slashed right through my helmet's visor, destroying it. I jumped away from the creature and took off my helmet. Now that it was broken it wasn't all that useful anymore. I dropped it to the ground.

"Try something else! Keyblades aren't meant for this kind of enemy! Whatever it's made out of it's too tough a material to piece through easily." Exclaimed Larz.

"Like what?" I exclaimed

"Hell if I know!" I started looking around.

"Okay, think Alex, think. Keyblades only piss it off. Time for Plan B." I looked around and saw a Shotgun next to the body of a dead soldier. I dismissed the Dark Horizon and picked up the Shotgun. I aimed at the creature as it approached me. I pulled the trigger and smirked. "Surely that thing can't survive a point blank range shot, especially from a... ARE YOU KIDDING ME?" The shotgun bullet hadn't even punctured the creature. It just looked at the fragments of the bullet on the ground and let out a loud hiss as it looked at me again. Now it was REALLY pissed off.

"Do you have a plan C?" Demanded Larz.

"I'm thinking this up as I go!" I saw a grenade on the ground where I had picked up the shotgun. I picked it up and looked at the crashed helicopter. It's fuel tank was twisted up and not where it was supposed to be, and it was dripping fuel. I smirked as I formed up a plan. I charged towards the creature and I kicked it. It stumbled back from the impact and then I kicked it again, this time it went airborne and crashed into the rubble under the helicopter. I activated and threw the grenade. It landed inside the helicopter. Then I opened a portal and landed right in front of the glass doors of the ANT Facility entrance. Shion and the others approached me.

"Alex, are you alright?" Asked chaos.

"I'm fine," I said as I strapped the Shotgun to my back. Then there was a massive explosion caused by the grenade exploding right next to the fuel tank, taking the creature out with it. "But that creature on the other hand..."

"What creature?" Asked Jr.

"The creature that attacked me. It was one of those experimental Realians we saw... with the 27 on their arms."

"The Asuras!" Jr said in shock.

"Yeah those things!" We entered the facility, ready to change the past. But if you ask me, we were not ready for the truth that awaited us. Nothing could have prepared us for what was to come.

* * *

_So what horrible truth is Alex talking about? Find out in the next chapter. Anyway, please review! Hopefully I'll have the next chapter up soon. _


	12. On that Day 15 years ago

Here we go again folks, the next chapter has arrived. But yea, you know how it goes.

Disclaimer: Yea, yea, I don't own Star Ocean, Kingdom Hearts, or Xenosaga. Man I feel redundant typing that over and over every single chapter of every single story... ah well it can't be helped.

_**WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! MASSIVE XENOSAGA SPOILER AHEAD!!! READ WITH CAUTION!!!

* * *

**_

Chapter 12: On that day 15 years ago...

We walked into the facility. There were alarms going off in the background and dead bodies were scattered here and there. Some people were running out of the building in a panic. As we were walking Shion suddenly fell to her knees. Without warning, I felt a sharp pain in my head. It faded as quickly as it had come.

"Ugh..." Said Shion.

"Chief! Is it happening again?" Asked Allen.

"I-I'm okay. It's not a big deal. We have to hurry to the hospital room and rescue Mom," said Shion. Without any notification, the little Shion bolted to the emergency stairs and up towards her Mother's hospital room. "Shion, wait! Don't go alone!" I shook my head.

"It's a bit too late, she's already going up there ASAP," I said.

"Then let's hurry and catch up with her," said chaos. We ran up the emergency stairs, towards the 5th floor.

* * *

Inside the surveillance room, Dr. Sellers stood there with a few soldiers as he looked at the data he was getting from the results of the conflict.

"Is this the result you wanted, Sellers?" Asked Joachim Mizrahi as he walked into the room. Sellers looked over at him.

"What are you doing here, old man? Don't tell me you came here to stop this now," said Sellers.

"Lemegeton, the words of God, must not be recited! It isn't what we believed it was!"

"But it can activate the Zohar!" Added Sellers, not seeming to care that Joachim probably had a point.

"The analysis of the Zohar is incomplete! We must determine why it exists in this universe or there will be no future for us! Surely even you know what will happen if you use it now in its incomplete state." Sellers looked back at his screen.

"Heinlein doesn't care. It doesn't matter what happens to this planet, as long as we obtain the data. Or are you going to lecture to me? You, who created this system?" Joachim grunted in frustration. "It can no longer be stopped. It has all begun!"

* * *

Suou Uzuki ran as fast as he could through the ANT Facility to the top floor. Alarms were going off all over the place, people were running in mass panic, Federation soldiers had captured some people and were holding them against a wall.

"Federation soldiers are already inside. I've got to hurry!" He said as he ran. Finally he arrived at the hallway leading to his wife's hospital room. He saw his daughter slamming on the door.

"Mommy, are you in there?" She cried. Suou was surprised to see his daughter here, wasn't she at the Old Church? And where the hell was that woman he told to look after his daughter while he protected his wife?

"Shion!" He exclaimed.

"Mommy!" Cried little Shion as she pounded on the door. Suou looked up at the window to see a 27-Series Asura climbing around on the window outside.

"That's a 27-Series Asura! Shion!" Shouted Suou. He grabbed his daughter by the shoulders. "Shion!"

"Huh? Daddy?" Asked Shion as she looked up at her father.

"Get inside, quickly!"

"Why? What's wrong?"

"Just hurry up!" Suou opened the door and shoved his daughter into the room. "Daddy! What're you doing?" She cried. Suou gave his daughter a farewell smile and the door closed.

"Daddy! Open the door!" She cried. Suou pulled out his connection gear and tried contacting his son.

"Jin! Jin!" There was no response. "Dammit. He's not responding." There was the sound of someone being impaled. He looked over and saw another Asura with a dead person stuck to one of it's sword claws. It shook the person off and started approaching Suou. "Jin, if you receive this message, please come back at once! Save Shion! Hurry, there's not much time!" The window broke and the Asura that Suou saw crawled through. Then another one came through the broken window. The three of them drew closer to Suou. "Please! You got to hurry! Jin!" Suou let out a scream as one of them stabbed him through.

Young Shion sat next to her Mother's bed. She was shaking in fear. The little girl had never been so terrified in her life before. The door opened and she looked over, hoping to see her father come in. But instead she saw three strange realian units coming in. One with her Father impaled on it's sword like claw. Little Shion let out a terrified gasp and quickly hid under her Mother's bed. The Asura threw Suou's lifeless body against the wall. It hit with a sickening crunch and a pool of blood started forming around the body. The Asuras then approached Aoi Uzuki, she made no movement, but the Asura's didn't care. It was just another enemy to kill for them. They held up their sword arms.

"No..." Whispered little Shion. "Noooo..." The Asuras started stabbing Aoi Uzuki repeatedly, staining their claws with her blood.

* * *

After awhile of running, killing psycho realians, and putting out a massive inferno, we finally arrived at the hallway which would lead to Aoi Uzuki's room. The door opened and we saw the hallway walls were coated with blood in some areas. There was one dead nurse in the corner as well. The window on the other end of the hallway was broken.

"They've already attacked," said Ziggy.

"No..." Said Shion. She looked over at KOS-MOS. "KOS-MOS, can you detect Shion?"

"I detect life signs inside the room. One matches those of Shion. In addition, there are three Realians of an unidentified type," responded KOS-MOS.

"Unidentified types? Shit, those must be the Asuras," I said.

"_More of them? You've got to be kidding me..." _Said Larz.

"Shion!" Cried Shion as she ran towards her Mom's room. As I approached the door I heard a voice in my head.

"_**Be careful, for beyond that door you will find no rest. Beyond that door, the true battle will begin. Beyond that door, is the beginning of the nightmare." **_I couldn't tell who the voice was. It wasn't one I had ever heard before. I walked right into the room, hopefully ready for whatever was going to happen next. We rushed into the room.

"Where are you, Shion?" Cried Shion as she ran into the room. She gasped at the sight of her Mother and Father, both were dead, brutally killed by those monsters. Shion snarled and pulled out her shield weapon thing.

"You monsters!" She shouted as she ran at one of them. "Get away from my Mom!" Shion slammed one of them right in the chest with her shield weapon. The impact knocked the Asura to the ground but it got up a few seconds later and started snarling and hissing. We started fighting the Asuras, but before we got too far into the battle...

"Guys! These things are practically immune to physical attacks, you'll need to get creative to defeat them!" I said.

"What did you do to defeat one?" Asked Ziggy.

"Oh, I just kicked it into the remains of the helicopter, threw a grenade in there and the explosion took care of it," I said casually. MOMO used an Ether spell on one of her arrows. She fired it and it pierced right through one of the Asura's killing it. Shion killed one by using several Thunderbolt Ether spells on it. And then KOS-MOS pulled out her plasma based pistol and shot the last Asura's head off. "Why wasn't it that easy for me?"

"You went overboard in the creative department," said Jr. Shion fell to her knees and started crying.

"Dad… Mother… Why? I'm sorry... I couldn't... I still couldn't stop it from happening," she said between sobs. I lowered my head.

"_We failed to change the past..." _Said Larz. I let out a sad sigh. _"But at the least, we should hurry and see if we can stop the Gnosis from coming." _

"_But how? We are running out of time..." _I looked over at the little Shion who kneeled at her mother's bed side with her hands held in the form of a cup. Her Mother's blood was pouring into her hands like water. I felt bad for both Shions, the older and the younger one. The young one had to watch her parents die, while the older one had to relive this horrible experience.

"I have to put it back. I have to put it back. It won't stop," said little Shion desperately.

"Shion..." Said Jin in a low voice. The blood continued to pour into her hands.

"I have to put it back…or else… Mommy's gonna die..." Said little Shion in a more

frantic voice. "Put it back. Someone…please put it back!"

"Shion!" Exclaimed Jin. At that time the blood started pouring out of young Shion's hands and it started splattering on the floor. Young Shion gasped and she accidently let go of the blood she was holding, resulting in all of it splattering down, staining the tips of her dress. She started to cry even more.

"Mom… No… No, this isn't true!" She shot up and looked up at the sky. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!" I felt something best described as white hot pain shoot through my head.

"AGH!" I grunted as I covered my face with my right hand. Only this time, the pain didn't leave quickly it stayed for a lot longer. The pain stopped and I looked out the window. All of a sudden red energy started to ripple in the sky. And then... Gnosis started coming down out of large green portals. It didn't take me too long to realize what had just happened. "That's not possible!" I exclaimed. The older Shion stood up.

"What is this? What is going on?? Why are Gnosis..." She started. Suddenly a Gnosis appeared in front of Shion. She stumbled back in shock.

"KOS-MOS!" Shouted Jin as he pulled out his sword. KOS-MOS nodded and activated the Hilbert effect. The Gnosis materialized and Jin cut it in half.

"No, it... This can't…be happening!" Said Shion as she realized exactly what all of us figured out.

"Chief?" Asked Allen.

"Shion. You've got to stay calm. Don't let it overpower you!" Exclaimed Jin. Shion looked at all of us with a look of horror.

"Jin… What is going on? It's a…this is a dream, right? I called... I called the Gnosis. I made them appear, didn't I? This is... some kind of terrible mistake? Right?" She ran over to Jin and hid her head in his chest, trying to deny the truth before her. "Tell me that this isn't possible!" She ran over to Ziggy, did the same thing while babbling indecipherably. Her crazed, almost insane and horrified gaze turned on me, she then grabbed me by the shoulders and started shaking me. "Someone tell me what's going on!" Jin grabbed his sister and started trying to pull her away from me. I looked over at him and mouthed: 'thank you'.

"Shion!" He shouted.

"No!" She cried.

"Calm down!"

"Let go of m-ee-ee-ee-ee!" I exclaimed as she continued shaking me. Jin finally managed to get Shion off of me and he pulled her back by embracing her from behind. Shion was going more hysterical and nuts by the second.

"No, I don't believe it! It's a lie! Tell me it isn't true!" She cried.

"Chief!" Cried Allen. The look on Shion's face was terrifying, it was as if she had completely lost it and gone mad.

"No... NO!" Suddenly Shion was surrounded by light. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" She screamed at the top of her lungs as the light shot through the roof, punching a hole through it, and up towards the sky. Again I felt agonizing pain in my head, almost to the point where I nearly lost my balance. But I managed to stay standing. We looked up towards the sky to see a large object appear in Space. I gasped as I saw it.

"_Abel's Ark!" _I exclaimed in my thoughts.

* * *

STYX

* * *

The ground started shaking, the three expedition teams started looking for rubble to take hold off as the shaking became more and more violent.

"What the hell is happening?" Shouted Cliff.

"I don't know! But the energy readings are going off the charts!" Said Maria as she held up the device. Suddenly the top of the device shot of in a small explosion. The remains were smoking in Maria's hand.

"Damn..." Said Cliff with a look of shock on his face.

"What kind of source could generate so much energy that it would destroy a scanner?" Asked Mirage.

"Forget about that! Look!" Exclaimed Cliff as he pointed towards the middle of the plain. The ground just started opening up like large doors. An altar rose up as if it was on an elevator. On the altar were three small pillars. Each one had some sort of diamond on the top. They were humming with energy and shooting out sparks. Suddenly a line of yellow energy shot between all three diamonds, creating a triangle shape. Then the energy focused in the middle of the Triangle and shot up towards the

sky in a massive pillar of yellow light. By this time, the shaking had stopped.

"Is that... an Ark of Union?" Asked Maria.

* * *

RADIANT GARDEN

* * *

The ground suddenly started shaking. Everyone in Ansem's Computer room were trying to stay on their feet. Sora held onto Kairi to keep her balanced. Riku picked King Mickey up and started shifting his weight so that he would stay in balance. Luther and Leon held onto the sides of the computer. Donald and Goofy and already fallen flat onto their backs.

"What's going on?" Asked Sora.

"An earthquake?" Asked Luther.

"No, this can't be a natural Earthquake. It must be something causing the ground to shake," said Leon. Suddenly his phone went off. He turned it on and put it to his ear.

"Hey, what the hell's going on here?" Exclaimed Cid on the other line.

"We don't know! But whatever it is, it's not a natural earthquake!" Exclaimed Leon.

"I'm sensing a powerful energy, perhaps it is the cause of it!" Shouted Merlin, having grabbed the phone from Cid to talk into it. Leon hung up. But then his phone rang again. He turned it back on.

"Leon! Activate camera 3!" Shouted Yuffie.

"Yuffie?" Asked Leon, seeming rather puzzled.

"Hurry!" Leon pressed a button and a screen popped up. Camera 3 was located at the Bailey window, looking out at the land between the town and Villain's Vale. Everyone gathered around the screen to see what was happening. The ground just started opening up like large doors. An altar rose up as if it was on an elevator. On the altar were three small pillars. Each one had some sort of diamond on the top. They were humming with energy and shooting out sparks. Suddenly a line of yellow energy shot between all three diamonds, creating a triangle shape. Then the energy focused in the middle of the Triangle and shot up towards the sky in a massive pillar of yellow light. By this time the shaking had stopped. "Did you guys just see that?" She exclaimed.

"Yes, we did..." Said Leon. Donald looked at the image and squawked.

"What is that thing?" He exclaimed.

"I wish I knew..." Said Luther. The Twilight Horizon appeared in Luther's hand.

"The Arks of Union... they have... awakened," said the Twilight Horizon.

* * *

MILTIA

* * *

Little Shion slumped down onto the ground. There was dead silence, as no one dared to speak. The event that had just occurred shocked all of us. Jr finally broke the silence.

"What the hell is going on? That didn't happen fifteen years ago!" Exclaimed Jr.

"What we're seeing is not the past. This is a reality that didn't exist," said Jin as he let go of his sister.

"Abel's Ark," said chaos.

"That thing that appeared at Miltia a year ago?" Asked Jr. chaos nodded.

"But why appear here now?" Asked Jin.

"That's why they brought Shion here!" Exclaimed chaos. "This world isn't the world of the past. It's a reality constructed inside of Shion's mind, by temporarily restoring the consciousness of people from the past. They're using Shion to correct in the present what they were unable to accomplish in the past." I gasped.

"So that's why every corner of this place had Shion's scent! Which means that's why I couldn't send those letters to the King," I said as I realized some things myself. Shion didn't respond, she was starring out the window speechlessly.

"Yes. Everything was supposed to begin here. But in order to awaken Abel, the resonance of the power between them was necessary. The Gnosis that attacked Miltia in the past…did not arrive because of Mizrahi, nor Albedo's link to U-DO. No. They were called by Shion, when she was a child," said a familiar voice. We all looked over at the entrance to the room. There stood the outline of the Red Testament.

"Testament!" I exclaimed. "Show yourself!" The Testament stepped into the light, his hood and his mask were gone. He had shaggy blue hair and blue eyes... blue hair... blue eyes... my eyes widened as I figured out who this guy was. It was that boy, that kid named Kevin. Only now he is an adult.

"Ke-Kevin?" Exclaimed Shion in shock.

"What? Kevin?" Asked Allen with a look of surprise on his face.

"Wait, you mean the guy who designed KOS-MOS?" Asked Jr.

"Yes, but why?" Asked Allen.

"He was Shion's boyfriend?"

"But, that's a Testament," said MOMO.

"K-Kevin… Is it really you?" Asked Shion as the Testament took several steps towards her.

"Yes, it's me. What's wrong? Have you forgotten my face?" He asked with a smile on his face. Shion shook her head.

"No, I haven't forgotten. I've never once forgotten. But why are you..."

"I've come for you, Shion," he said with that smile on his face.

"Kevin, tell me, why did you hide yourself all this time? Why are you a Testament?"

"I needed power. That is why I took this form. But what I look like is not important. It's still me. Nothing has changed," said Kevin sadly.

"But the Kevin in this time he sacrificed all those people, all those Realians to research the Zohar, even my mother."

"I had no choice. I'm sorry I made you suffer. But you must understand that it was all done for you."

"For me? This? Are you saying all of this was for me?"

"It was all for you. I was always thinking about you. Come with me. I need you, Shion." Kevin continued that strange smile.

"Kevin…" Said Shion.

"Who the hell do you think you are?! You've got no right to come here and open up her wounds. And you're saying it's all for her benefit?" Demanded Jr while glaring at Kevin.

"Silence. This is none of your concern." Said Kevin while returning the glare.

"It sure as hell is my concern!"

"Hey Testament! I don't know why you are here, or who you think you are, but Jr is right. You don't have the right to just come in here, say whatever the hell you want, and hurt one of our comrades! That's just wrong!" He looked at me and sneered.

"Oh, what's this? Is Half-breed trying to explain morals to me? How cute," he said with a mocking tone. "You are hardly one to talk, Half-breed. You and your incomplete heart. At least I do not cast aside those I call friends."

"What are you babbling about?" I demanded. Kevin started laughing.

"You push away those who would help you in an situation, just because you feel that you can handle everything alone. You don't let people get involved because you are afraid that you won't be able to protect them. You try to act tough and act like you are a lone wolf, but in reality... you are a coward."

"You don't know me!" Kevin sneered again.

"Really? So tell me, why are you here? Why did you come to this Universe? And why didn't you bring anyone with you?" I looked away.

"I just happened to be in the..." Kevin whipped out his hand and snapped his fingers. Bolts of red energy flew from his hands and hit me. I fell off my feet and landed on my back. "Augggh..." I said as I started to get up.

"How about telling the truth? Why are you really here?" Kevin snapped his fingers again and I was hit by sparks of energy again and I fell to the ground again. I got up from the ground, and let out a deep sigh. Then I inhaled and shouted.

"ALRIGHT! DAMMIT! I'M HERE TO SAVE MY UNIVERSE FROM BEING DESTROYED BY THE GNOSIS!"

"What?" Exclaimed Shion.

"Why didn't you mention this a bit earlier, Alex?" Demanded Jr.

"I... I..." I said as I got up from the ground.

"That's exactly what I was getting at. You never let those around you help you, you think you can do everything yourself. But the truth is you do not have the power to do that, you could never possibly save your Universe. And you cannot save Shion, none of you can."

"Huh?" I asked.

"What do you mean? I hope you can explain yourself." Demanded Jin. Kevin looked over at Jin.

"Jin Uzuki… I'm sure you've already realized what's happening to Shion's body." Jin gasped. "That's right. She's suffering from the same illness as her mother." Shion let out a gasp as well. Kevin looked over at Shion sadly. "Shion, you have an ability that others lack. But that power will eventually cost you your life. That's the reason for your recent headaches."

"I have the same illness as Mom?" Exclaimed Shion.

"If you know that much, then, naturally, you must know the cause as well?" Asked Jin.

"While differing somewhat in the strength of their power, the test subjects assembled in this facility all possess the same ability as Shion. The subjects are capable of communicating with U-DO. They can convey their will to U-DO," explained Kevin.

"Communicating with U-DO?" Exclaimed Jr.

"Yes, but that leads to their own death. The test subjects' wills are unable to stand the stress of direct contact with U-DO, and they eventually fall into a coma and die."

"Then why didn't you make them stop the experiments?! If you cut off the contact with U-DO, wouldn't the illness stop?! You don't have to force them to talk with U-DO!" Shouted Allen angrily.

"You can't," said Jr. Allen's anger vanished quickly.

"Huh?"

"You can't cut off contact with U-DO. He's watching us from another realm. You can't run away from him."

"U-DO chooses to make contact? Are you saying those waves have a will?" Asked Jin.

"So all those times that Shion would suddenly collapse, were because of the stress caused by being connected to U-DO?" I asked. Kevin nodded.

"Yes. That would be correct." He then focused his attention back over to his girlfriend. "Don't you see Shion? I become a Testament to save you. Without this

form, without this power, I can't save you. The only ones that can save you are

me and T-elos."

"T-elos? T-elos is going to save the Chief? Wait a minute! Then what the hell is KOS-MOS?! You designed her, too!" Demanded Allen angrily.

"KOS-MOS is just a prototype built to collect data for T-elos, and to monitor Shion."

"KOS-MOS is a prototype? Is that why you tried to dispose of her?" Questioned Allen.

"Yes. KOS-MOS grew too close to Shion. The source of KOS-MOS's power comes from U-DO, by using the Zohar as a door. Every time KOS-MOS uses her abilities, Shion, who reacts to U-DO, loses her life force. The closer Shion and KOS-MOS's wills come together, the greater the stress on Shion." Explained Kevin in another lengthy speech. KOS-MOS seemed to have a puzzled look on her face.

"KOS-MOS…is shortening Chief's life span?" Asked Allen in disbelief. Shion looked at KOS-MOS fearfully.

"You mean, KOS-MOS is going to kill me?" She asked.

"Shion. I want you to come with me. If things progress as they have been, then you'll have no future. This is the only way to save you," said Kevin. He held a hand to his heart and put on a sad look on his visage. "Please listen, Shion. I don't want—I don't want to lose you again."

"Kevin, I..." Started Shion. But her current state of mind prevented her from finishing her sentence. She was too much of a mental train wreck right now. Kevin continued to smile warmly... though I got the feeling that it could possibly be a crocodile smile. I didn't trust this guy one bit.

"I understand. It's all right. I'm right here with you." Shion held a hand to her heart.

"Oh, Kevin, I'm happy... I'm so happy to see you again. I missed you so much. I thought that I'd never see you again," said Shion softly as she was on the verge of sobbing. "And yet, here you are. So, I—I—I…"

"I promise you, that—I'll never leave you again. We'll always be together." This seem to hit something in Shion. She let out a sigh and began to approach Kevin.

"Kevin..." She said in a dream like trance. But her day dream was interrupted by Jin as he blocked her from going any further. "Jin? What are you doing? I don't understand." Exclaimed Shion with a tone of surprise.

"Shion. I apologize. But I cannot allow you to leave here with him. What he's telling you right now may seem plausible enough. However, I don't believe it! I don't believe that he can be trusted!" Said Jin as he drew his sword. Kevin's face shifted to emotionless.

"Jin Uzuki..." Stated Kevin as if this was a warning. As if she had been waiting for a cue, T-elos stepped out of the shadows from behind the Testament and walked into the room. I immediately summoned Larz. T-elos' eyes shifted over to me, she seemed amused by my reaction. Putting me aside, she looked at KOS-MOS and gave her a quick glare.

"What are you saying, Jin? You've got to stop it! This is Kevin! He's the man I loved from the bottom of my heart!" Cried Shion on the verge of tears.

"No, he isn't, he's not the same anymore! He is no longer a human!" Argued Jin as he continued to block his sister.

"No. You're wrong! He's the same as he always was. He's the same man that I always knew! He's still my Kevin!" Protested Shion in a very upset voice. Suddenly there was the sound of a gun being fired. With unpredictable speed and accuracy, T-elos raised her arm guard right in front of Kevin's head, blocking the bullet. I looked over at where the sound came from to see Jr holding out one of his guns.

"Dammit!" Cried Jr. He was about to fire again when Shion rushed forward and grabbed his hand. She pulled it upwards to prevent him from firing at Kevin. That is when I made my move. I shot a flare spell at T-elos, disorienting her. Then I rushed towards the Testament threw him against the wall. I held him by his collar with my left hand and pointed Larz to his head. Energy started charging at the tip.

"This is goodbye, Testament," I said. Kevin sneered at me.

"Really? I beg to differ," he said.

"Alex! Behind you!" Exclaimed Larz. Before I could react I felt someone grab my right arm in a vice grip. Next thing I knew, I was twisted up into the air and thrown to the ground. I looked up and saw Shion standing there still holding my right arm. She let go and started looking around at her comrades.

"Tell me why. Why are you all interfering?" She cried. Shion saw Jin about to approach Kevin, she tried to stop him.

"Shion, get back!" Exclaimed Jin. He shoved Shion aside, causing her to stumble onto KOS-MOS. KOS-MOS caught Shion in the blink of an eye. "KOS-MOS, take Shion and run away!" During this time I managed to get up from the ground.

"KOS-MOS, don't do it. Come to me. Bring Shion here," said Kevin. KOS-MOS looked over at Kevin.

"KOS-MOS! No, don't do it!" Cried Allen.

"KOS-MOS!" KOS-MOS was silent for a few seconds, then she spoke.

"Kevin Winnicot, I am very sorry, but unfortunately I am not programmed to follow your orders," she replied.

"Are you trying to defy your creator?" Demanded Kevin angrily.

"The KOS-MOS that was created by you, has been destroyed by T-elos, sir. I have different designers, Shion Uzuki and also Mr. Allen Ridgeley," said KOS-MOS. Kevin seemed shocked at this small bit of news.

"Impossible!" KOS-MOS looked over at Shion, completely ignoring Kevin.

"Shion, we will leave now," said KOS-MOS. Shion shook her head in denial.

"No, KOS-MOS stop!" Cried Shion. She tried to get out KOS-MOS' hold and continued struggling. "I don't want to go with you!" Before I knew what happened, KOS-MOS' free hand formed into a fist and hit Shion right in the gut. "UGH!" Cried Shion upon impact, not to surprisingly the attack knocked her out cold.

"I must apologize. Action was needed to avoid danger." KOS-MOS carried Shion in one hand. She looked over at me. "Alex, please cover me while I get Shion out of here." I nodded.

"You got it!" KOS-MOS charged to the window, she ran right into it, causing it to shatter. She summoned her bike in mid air and landed on the street below. In a burst of speed she headed off towards the Elsa's location. T-elos ran past me and approached the window.

"KOS-MOS! You think you can run?" Demanded T-elos a she jumped out of the window. Without hesitation I ran after her and jumped out the window. I aimed Larz right at her.

"THUNDAGA!" I shouted. A bolt of lightning appeared and hit T-elos in the back. She went out of balance because of the attack and landed on the ground... not on her feet though. I teleported in mid air down to the ground where she was. She sat up and jumped to her feet while giving me a glare.

"What the hell are you doing, Alex? My target is getting away thanks to you!" She shouted angrily. Clearly she was pissed, not good for me.

"I cannot let you get your hands on Shion."

"I'm not after her you idiot, I was after KOS-MOS! That Testament can go and get his precious Shion whenever he wants."

"Even so, I have a job to do. I was told to hold off an pursuers."

"You don't have to do this Alex! Come with me, with the two of us together... we would be invincible. No one would be able to defeat us!"

"This must be fate... I'm sorry T-elos, but I cannot join you. I have my side... and you have yours." T-elos didn't say anything at first. But then her V-Blade shot out of her arm guard.

"I was hoping to give you a chance, but you just blew it." I got into a fighting stance, I wasn't going to lose to T-elos tonight. Just as we were about to charge at each other, Kevin's voice echoed in the air.

"Stop T-elos. Don't bother starting a fight with Half-Breed. And there is no need to pursue KOS-MOS at this time. We'll have plenty of opportunities. Return now," he stated in a very commanding voice. T-elos glared and gritted her teeth. She then focused her attention on me.

"We'll have to settle this later," she said. With that, T-elos jumped to the top of a building and then jumped to another, then another, until she was out of sight. I let out a sigh and dismissed Larz.

"Well, well, if it isn't Alex," echoed Xemnas' voice. I started looking around for him but didn't see him anywhere.

"Cut the crap and show yourself!" I shouted. There was a burst of blue light and Xemnas appeared as it faded. "Since when did portals of darkness become exploding balls of light?" Xemnas didn't answer me. I couldn't help but notice that something wasn't right with Xemnas. His scent was different, I couldn't really put my finger on it though. It wasn't a scent I had ever smelled before. Xemnas smirked that evil smirk of his.

"One of them in this day and age, and such an unusual hybrid. If I play my cards right I won't have to deal with you."

"What are you talking about?" This wasn't Xemnas talking, and yet Xemnas is right here before me. Who could it possibly be?

"The Arks of Union have activated, my time is coming. The day when all ends is near."

"The Arks of Union? Then you're..." Said Larz as he appeared in my hand. "No, that can't be!" Whoever it was, he seemed to recognize Larz's voice.

"That annoying child from last time is here too? Who'd have thought you'd end up like that?"

"Who the hell are you?" I demanded.

"I am the will of destruction. I am ARMAGEDON." Suddenly there was a burst of energy that shot from this 'ARMAGEDON'. The power that this... thing gave off was inconceivable. If this juggernaut was with the Testaments, no one would be able to stop whatever they are trying to do. The sheer power of ARMAGEDON froze me in place, I had never seen such power before. "And it will take more than your meager powers to stand in my way, Crosser." ARMAGEDON disappeared in a burst of light, leaving Larz and I alone once again.

"What the hell is that thing?" I asked.

"An abomination from countless years ago. I thought it had been destroyed."

"Apparently not." I paused for a moment as the conversation replayed in my head. "What are the Arks of Union?" I asked. Suddenly there was a loud explosion from a nearby building. I covered my face as the heat of the explosion swept by.

"Let's get on board the Elsa. I'll tell you everything I know there!" I nodded.

"Good idea, let's go!" I opened a portal and landed inside of the Cabin.

* * *

ONBOARD THE ELSA...

* * *

The Elsa was flying around the city. By now the conflict was drawing to a close and the streets were covered in ruins, fire, and corpses. As the crew sat at their stations, Hammer saw something on one of the cameras.

"Captain! It's KOS-MOS! She's headed this way on the bike!" He said.

"Are they alone? Stop the ship! We'll pick them up!" Said Captain Matthews. The side door of the hangar opened up.

"Captain. I'm boarding the ship. Please maintain your current position," said KOS-MOS through a transmission.

"Don't do anything crazy. This ship is delicate. Scratch it and you're gonna pay for it."

"I will do my best." KOS-MOS sped up and used a turned over truck as a ramp. She went airborne and landed inside the Elsa's hangar.

"KOS-MOS and Shion are now onboard!" Said Hammer as te notification came up on his screen.

"Captain, all of the others are still currently inside of Labyrinthos," said KOS-MOS through the COM channel.

"Don't worry. Tony, can you handle it?" Asked Captain Matthews.

"Who do you think you're talkin' to? This is gonna be a piece of cake!" Exclaimed Tony in a rather casual voice.

* * *

LABYRINTHOS

* * *

Joachim Mizrahi stood in his destroyed lab. The holograms of the Twelve Zohar emulators had been smashed and were now glowing with red light. He knew what he was doing would have a serious effect on what was about to happen, but that didn't matter. He heard the door open, but he didn't need to look over to see who it was. He knew that he would probably have to deal with Sellers.

"Mizrahi, what are you doing? Don't be stupid! If you do that, we may lose control of the Zohar!" Cried Sellers.

"I know, but this is the only way to stop this phenomenon. I must save this universe, even if it means destroying this planet," said Joachim without looking at Sellers.

"Are you crazy? Stop!" Exclaimed Sellers as he got even more into a panic. Joachim stopped typing and looked at his former co-worker.

"You and the others are the ones who don't realize what you're doing. That thing is beyond human control," he replied simply. He knew he was right, but he doubted that Sellers would learn anything from what he said.

"Are you upset because you failed to revive your daughter?" Demanded Sellers angrily.

"Failed? It's true that I was unable to bring my daughter back to life. But a new potential was born." Joachim turned towards the elevator and began to walk towards it. "For that, I will..." Started Joachim. Sellers rushed towards him and grabbed his shoulder in an attempt to stop Joachim. In the blink of an eye, Joachim spun around with a handgun in his right hand. Sellers stepped back from Joachim pretty quickly, but the old professor didn't stop there. He aimed at Sellers legs and shot both of them. Sellers let out a grunt of pain and fell to the floor as blood trickled out of his wounded legs.

"Watch closely. This is how I take my responsibility!" Shouted Joachim. He turned around and went up the Elevator.

"Mizrahi!" Sellers called after him in vain. That would be the last time Sellers saw Joachim Mizrahi. The man who would soon be blamed for the appearance of the Gnosis.

* * *

THE ELSA

* * *

I quickly rushed up to the bridge. Captain Matthews and the others were surprised at my sudden appearance but didn't focus on it for long. We needed to get Jr and everyone else out of the ANT Facility ASAP. Tony moved the Elsa right next to a giant hole in the wall. How that got there I have no idea. Everyone turned around to see us waiting for them.

"Hurry onboard!" I exclaimed.

"Let's go!" Said Jin. The rest of the group rushed onboard. As Allen, the last person to get onboard, ran past me, I closed the airlock and went inside myself. From there I followed the group to the bridge as Tony shot the Elsa up towards the Atmosphere. The city was a mess, many sections had been completely destroyed with fires spread everywhere like small fireflies in the night sky. Gnosis were everywhere, I had never seen this many of those aliens in one area before. And as we got higher up in the sky I noticed a large triangle shaped ship floating upwards, it wasn't going all that fast so we passed it fairly swiftly. Judging by that song emitting from it that we heard earlier, I'd make an educated guess and say that is the Song of Nephilim. As we passed the ship, it started glowing with bright white light that quickly spread everywhere. The light caught up with and shot past the Elsa. The light got so bright that I had to close my eyes and look away from it.

* * *

DEEP WITHIN THE DAMMERUNG

* * *

Wilhelm stood on his enigmatic craft. It was shaded green and looked like the skeleton of a giant. A giant ring with a round blue center rested on the torso of the craft. Behind Wilhelm's AWMS was an ES owned by the Red Testament. His ES looked similar to Wilhelm's Craft, but it looked more like a body than a skeleton. It was painted red and had two large knives on the back of the suit. Wilhelm looked up as a green sphere of light appeared above him.

"It appears that the first awakening has gone smoothly," he said in his calm tone.

"Yes. The remaining Vessels of Anima will follow shortly," said Kevin.

"The Vessels of Anima are the body of God, divided by the Saint in ancient times to protect the universe from dissipation. We cannot allow the universe's failsafe to become active. We must control the body of God with our own hands."

"I understand. We shall return everything to the moment of beginning." Said Kevin without emotion.

* * *

So what's next for our heroes after these unexpected events? Find out in the next chapter... sorry it took so long to get this out... damn school work. 


	13. Tri Unification

Thanks goes to all who reviewed. As usual here's the next chapter and of course the disclaimer comes first... blarg.

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Ocean, Kingdom Hearts, or Xenosaga.

* * *

Chapter 13: Tri-Unification

"_The stars sure are beautiful tonight," said one of the boys as he and his friend sat on the hill looking up at the night sky. _

"_Yea, you can see them so well after midnight," said the other boy. There was a moment of silence between the two friends as they continued looking up at the stars. "Hey, Alex, do you think there's anything out there? You know, among those stars? Like other planets with life on them?" The other boy, Alex, turned his head over towards his friend._

"_I think so. That would make sense in my opinion, Luther," he said as if he didn't even need to think about it to know for sure what the answer to that question was._

"_It would be nice to leave here on a trip to see what other people and cultures are out there. But I doubt we'll ever have the time." _

"_I guess that can't be helped. We are the future employees of the Sphere Company." There was a pause for a second, and then Alex grinned. "But I'm sure we could skip a few days to go up there. Nobody would notice." _

"_Yeah, and then Blair would chew us out when we came back," responded Luther. The two boys started laughing. _

"_She definitely would yell at us." Alex looked up at the stars again. "But at some point, I want to go up there... no... I know we will go up there." The young boy held out his hand, reaching to the far off, flickering gems in the sky. "I get the feeling that someday we will go up there, who knows? Maybe something amazing is waiting for us out there." Luther nodded. _

"_I hope you are right, that would make an amazing adventure. Let's go up there someday."

* * *

_"Are you alright?" Asked chaos' voice. I opened my eyes, my vision blurred for a moment but then I could see perfectly. chaos was looking down at me from where he was standing to my right. For some reason I lying on the floor of the Elsa's bridge. 

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said as I got back up. I looked through the front window of the Elsa to see that we were out of the atmosphere and now in space. "Where are we?"

"We're looking into that now," said Captain Matthews. The Captain looked over at Hammer. "Hammer, hurry up and give us a damage report and our current position."

"Roger…" Started Hammer, but then all of a sudden, something showed up on Hammer's screen. "Huh?! Ah-ah…" There was a giant pulse of energy as a burst of light emitted from out of nowhere. Then all of a sudden Abel's Ark appeared almost right in front of us. I knew Abel's Ark was big but not THIS big. The Elsa was just a mere fly compared to this enigmatic behemoth.

"That's..." Started Jr in shock.

"Abel's Ark!" Finished chaos.

"What's going on? I thought it disappeared along with the past Miltia just a moment ago! Hammer! Where the hell are we?" Exclaimed Captain Matthews.

"Coordinates confirmed! We're at point KZ255, Y724. It's the same point where we came in contact with the hypersphere," stated Hammer.

"What?"

"U.M.N. column pulse received. Time axis confirmed. We're in the present!" Said MOMO.

"Well at least we made it back in one piece, that's got to count for something," I said.

"Then, we were never really..." Started Jr.

"Right. We were trapped in the world of Shion's subconscious this whole time. In order to awaken 'that,'" explained chaos.

"The thing they were unable to accomplish in the past… That's why they needed the power of both Shions!" Exclaimed Allen.

"Captain! There's a powerful energy wave coming from Abel's Ark!" Cried MOMO.

"What?" He exclaimed.

"Shockwave! Incoming!" I gripped onto the rail nearby me and got ready for the impact. Even if a shock wave wasn't a physical contact, it could cause some turbulence even in space. The energy shot off the Ark in a massive pink wave. The shock wave propelled the Elsa away from Abel's Ark resulting in us getting thrown around a little bit, but the energy wave did more than just that. A nearby planet was engulfed in that light and then dissolved. I starred out the Elsa's Front Window in disbelief.

"Holy shit, did that just happen?" I muttered under my breath

"What the? Th-The planet is..." Started Allen in total shock.

"Abel's Ark is initiating transfer!" Explained MOMO as the Ark did something else. Abel's Ark began to glow even brighter and within a few seconds the Ark had disappeared.

"Is it gone?" Asked Captain Matthews.

"Seems like it," I responded. I looked back out the front window as the image of the Ark returned to my mind. "What the hell is that thing anyway?" I knew the Ark possessed some strange power, but I didn't know that this thing acted with a will of it's own. Suddenly there was a beep as a transmission began to come through.

"Captain! There's a transmission from the Durandal!" Exclaimed Hammer.

"What? The Durandal's here?" Asked Captain Matthews.

"Yes, sir. Looks like it's nearby. They say they've spotted us and they're gonna pick us up."

"They're okay, right?" Demanded Jr.

"Yeah, they're fine."

"Okay. Let's go ahead and join up with them." The Elsa sped off towards the Durandal's location. It didn't take long before we were finally docked on the Durandal. KOS-MOS took Shion and placed her in one of the Elsa's Cabins, she hadn't woken up yet but that doesn't surprise me. KOS-MOS didn't exactly go easy on Shion with that knock out punch. Captain Matthews, Hammer, and Tony all left the Elsa to walk around a little since they had been onboard ever since they departed to investigate Renne-les-chateau. Everyone else proceeded up to the bridge. On the Bridge was Juli and Canaan who must have come here while we were locked up in the false past.

"Welcome back, Little Master!" Exclaimed Mary.

"It's good to see that you are all okay," added Shelley.

"Likewise. So what's happened during our absence?" Asked Jr. Mary, Shelley, and Juli then began to explain the events that had occurred. To summarize an hour long chat, it went something like this: The Federation launched the Tactical Warship Merkabah along with a vast fleet of ships AND Omega Res Novae in a full scale invasion on a planet known as Michtam. The reasons are unknown but Juli believed that the reason has something to do with an object mentioned in the Y-data. As if by some throw of the dice, the name of the object was Zarathustra. The good news was that I finally knew where Zarathustra is, the bad news was that another lunatic was after that relic. I didn't know what Dimitri Yuriev wanted with Zarathustra, but I knew I couldn't let that thing fall into his hands, or anybodies for that matter. We also found out that Abel's Ark was seeking Zarathustra as well. Though why it was seeking it is well over my head. Hell the concept of a gigantic structure that can move through hyperspace, has a mind of it's own, possesses an object with infinite power, and also causes planets to vanish was well over my head from the beginning.

"But why are planets vanishing? How is the Ark doing that?" I asked.

"The UMN columns are emitting strange waves as Abel's Ark passes through them, this wave is causing the planets to vanish. According to the 100-Series', the waves are similar to the vibration patterns emitted when Gnosis come in contact with humans," explained Juli. She paused for a moment before continuing. "You may find this hard to believe, but if this rate keeps up half of the federation will disappear in 72 hours."

"What? Three days?" I exclaimed. That's bad news, if the Ark were to somehow enter the other Universe, King Mickey and the others would not stand a chance against that scale of power. They would be totally annihilated. I bit my lip and looked out towards the stars.

"By the way, Alex, I think you have some explaining to do," stated Jr. I snapped out of my thoughts and looked over at him.

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"You remember what that Testament made you say, what the hell is this about you being here to save your Universe?" I let out a sigh, my secret was out now. Time to fess up.

"It's true, I came here to save my Universe. Not too long ago I made a horrible discovery. One year ago when I first came to this Universe, I opened a door that should not have been opened. In order to get back and fight Organization XIII, I created a link between this Universe and mine. But I didn't know at the time that this would expose my Universe to the threat of the Gnosis Phenomenon. I realized that I had to come back here and close off the connection that I had created once and for all. Unfortunately, I can't simply go and close the connection. The connection is sealed tight by Zarathustra, and unless that thing is destroyed, my Universe is on the verge of destruction. We have no means of fighting the Gnosis, and there is no organized military in any way shape or form. If we were to be attacked, we would not survive. And so I took it upon myself to atone for my sins by closing that connection."

"So you knew about this 'Zarathustra' all along," surmised Canaan coldly. I nodded.

"Yes, I did."

"Why didn't you tell us this from the start?" Demanded Jin.

"It's because of how little I knew about the situation, if I were to get you guys involved in something I knew little about that would mean putting your lives at risk. I already am responsible for the ominous threat that shadows over my Universe."

"Did you really think you can take on such a task all by yourself?" Asked Shelley.

"Are you suicidal or what?" Demanded Mary.

"Why didn't you at least bring some of your friends from your Universe to help you out?" Asked Juli.

"The entire situation was my fault, I didn't want to get them dragged into my problem. When I knew what I had to do, I left without telling anyone."

"You must have a death wish or something," said Canaan.

"Look, I understand what you are going through. But it's always better to get help from your friends," said Jr.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier."

"Just remember, we're friends. You don't have to hide things, especially things THAT big," said Jr with a smile.

"You're right, thanks," I said.

"You must all be tired, go get something to eat and then get some rest," said Shelley. Juli looked over at Jr.

"Tomorrow, we will be heading out to Michtam. Take the rest of today to prepare for whatever lies ahead." We all left the bridge shortly afterwards. I was planning to go get a bite to eat, but there was somewhere else I needed to go first. I used the transport system to go to where the Elsa was docked.

* * *

_Tactical Warship Merkabah

* * *

_

Dimitri Yuriev and Sellers stood on the bridge of the Tactical Warship Merkabah. The two of them were looking up at a screen. On this screen was a diagram of Abel's Ark. The mood of the bridge was very serious and quiet. The only sounds present was the hum of the reactor down in the lower decks of the ship, and the computers scattered all over the bridge.

"Federation planets are disappearing one after another, just as described in the Y-Data. The release of Lemegeton has awakened Abel. "When Abel awakes, his cradle, the Ark, shall appear. It shall seek the eternal circle." And true to those words, the Zohar has become active. I can feel it," stated Dimitri.

"Abel…just who is that child?" Pondered Sellers. Dimitri looked away from the screen and over at the crippled man.

"You could say he's an old friend from the time when I was a U.M.N. space pilot. He was always in an isolated facility, though, so I only met him directly a few times."

"That was several hundred years ago. And he has never changed the entire time?"

"It's nothing to be surprised about. After all, I've existed for hundreds of years, myself."

"His existence is recorded in Mizrahi's Y-Data, as essential for controlling Omega. He does act as a mediator to the Zohar waves, but the record itself is thousands of years old. And Mizrahi restored it. Which means that boy has existed since "that" era. It's outside the realm of normal comprehension."

"Right now, he is an indispensable partner to me. He is the control device for Omega, the one weapon that can challenge God. Once I retrieve its power source, the Zohar and obtain Zarathustra, the final artifact needed to ascend to the realm of God."

"Do you seriously intend to fight "God"?" Asked Sellers with a tone of skepticism.

"You'll see soon enough," responded Dimitri with a casual tone.

* * *

_Prodigium, Ormus Warship

* * *

_

Just like the AWMS that Ormus use, their ships were also very different looking internally and externally to those of any federation ship. Most of the time, these ships looked like Ormus had taken tons of twisted pieces of rusted scrap metal and fused it all together with a crude blow torch. But the weapons onboard Ormus vessels were a force to be reckoned with. For a religious group, Ormus was very formidable. Inside the bridge of the Prodigium, there was one main platform and a lower balcony where the crew sat. People like Margulis and Pellegri stood on the top platform.

"What are you doing, Margulis? No orders have been issued to move the fleet," said Pellegri.

"They have Omega. And now this," said Margulis. Margulis approached the main console and pulled up an image onto the purple screen. On screen was Abel's Ark.

"That's the unknown entity currently moving through the U.M.N." Commented Pellegri.

"It's Abel's Ark," said Margulis.

"Abel's Ark? The object that was said to appear when the Messiah was crucified?" Asked Pellegri. Margulis pulled up a chart onto a smaller screen. It showed a mid-scale star chart with coordinates marking the locations of UMN Columns, planets, and a yellow line that represented the Ark.

"Do you see where it's headed?"

"It's Michtam. Why is this thing that appeared at Old Miltia a year ago heading for Michtam now?" Questioned Pellegri.

"That, I don't know. But the Federation's Salvator faction is headed for Michtam as well. Do you think that's just a coincidence? There's something there on that planet," concluded Margulis.

"And that's why you're taking the fleet? So that planet is more than just our birthplace?"

"Zarathustra, the blessed Saint's womb. It is said to be vital for the return to Lost Jerusalem. Michtam…or Abraxas, was the planet where the worshipers of the Saint landed. The Y-Data we obtained from the Federation also supports it," explained Margulis.

"You believe…Zarathustra lies on Michtam."

"Yes. And if so, we cannot allow them to intrude upon that land."

"Even if it means disobeying orders of His Eminence?" Margulis was silent. He knew what he was doing could easily be labeled insubordination. But sometimes, rules are meant to be broken.

* * *

KLAUSIAN ORBITAL STATION OGETSU

* * *

It all happened too quickly. Not too long after the Ark of Union activated, another earthquake started and the sensors onboard the Ogetsu were going nuts. According to Marietta, Styx was beginning to emit strange waves. The expedition teams on Styx were transported back to the Ogetsu ASAP. Maria, Cliff, Mirage, Lancar, and Steeg all rushed up to the bridge to check up on the situation.

"Marietta! What the hell is going on?" Exclaimed Cliff.

"You may find this hard to believe, but Styx is initiating a jump into gravitic space!" Cried Marietta.

"What? How the hell can a planet make a jump?"

"That Ark of Union must be starting a chain reaction," said Mirage.

"The phenomenon is expanding beyond Styx!"

"What do you mean?" Asked Cliff.

"The energy waves are spreading from Styx, the reaction is starting to pull Styx with it. In short, if Styx pulls of this jump it's going to drag this entire region of space with it! Maybe eve the entire Galaxy!"

"What?" Exclaimed Maria.

"The hell with this investigation, in fact the hell with this physics defying phenomenon! We're getting out of here now!" Shouted Cliff. Everyone went to their seats on the bridge. "Mirage, blind jump us out of here!" Everyone looked at Cliff as if he had said the most ridiculous, suicidal thing you could possibly say.

"But without a destination solution we have no idea where we will end up!" Exclaimed Lancar.

"Well we're screwed if we stay here for much longer. Get us out of here, Mirage!"

"Roger!" Said Mirage in an almost totally calm voice. The Ogetsu left Styx's gravitational field and entered gravitic warp, towards an unknown destination.

* * *

RADIANT GARDEN

* * *

"The Arks of Union?" Asked Riku.

"Yes, the Arks of Union are a series of three pillars, one located in each of the three Universes. When they became active, it will set off a chain reaction that will bring about the unification of the three Universes. Otherwise known as the Tri-Unification," explained the Twilight Horizon.

"But why would anyone want to unite the three Universes? It seems kind of pointless to me," said Luther.

"The Arks of Union are beacons that signify that the end is coming. When the three Universes are brought together, a massive battle shall begin. And once the battle is over, ARMAGEDON shall make it's move. ARMAGEDDON shall take the form of a deceased being and bring about the destruction of all three Universes."

"How can that be? If such a connection existed, then that would mean that the Eternal Sphere would have existed long before my company ever built it. That isn't possible, and I don't remember seeing anything in any of the coding I saw about an 'Ark of Union'. If it had been in the Eternal Sphere we would have found it long ago."

"The Universe you call the Eternal Sphere was destroyed many, many years ago. When the first Horizon wielder got caught up in a series of events that lead to their encounter with ARMAGGEDON way before it's time had come. By some chance of the dice, the world you created restored the lost Universe."

"So we were being used from the beginning. I wonder how Alex will react when he hears this."

"Leon!" Exclaimed Sora.

"What is it?" Asked Leon. Sora pointed at the screen.

"What the heck is going on with the Ark of Union?"

"Wak! What's that?" Exclaimed Donald. There was a bright light emitting from the Ark of Union. It began to spread from the crystal and outwards. Before anyone could react, the light spread out across all of Radiant Garden.

At the remains of Organization XIII's Stronghold in the World That Never Was, ARMAGEDDON stood on the top floor laughing as it sensed that the Tri-Unification had begun. It's time would soon come.

* * *

THE DURANDAL

* * *

I arrived at the Elsa's Airlock and went inside. From there I began to approach the cabins when all of a sudden, Professor came around the corner. He noticed me and stopped walking.

"There you are, I was about to send Scott to go find you," he said.

"You wanted to see me?" I asked.

"Yes, I have upgrades ready to make your suit into a Mark III. So when you get a chance, give me whatever you have of that armor that wasn't completely destroyed like the Helmet."

"Alright, give me a moment." I went into the Male Cabin, changed back into a pair of jeans, a black T-shirt, and the leather jacket that I had come here in. I went back outside and handed Professor my battle armor. "Here you go."

"About time." Just as Professor was about to leave he looked back over at me. "By the way, Scott and I took a look at that AWMS you picked up and I must say that this Omega Universitas is a remarkable machine. It ranks right up there with the ES Craft." With that, Professor left and headed down to the Robot Academy. I went into the next room, the Female's Cabin. I wasn't sure how Shion was doing so I decided that I should go check up on her. KOS-MOS was in this room as well, so I walked over towards her.

"How's Shion doing?" I asked.

"Shion is still asleep. She may be out for the rest of the day," explained KOS-MOS.

"I see." I paused for a moment. "She's having a tough time, huh?" KOS-MOS didn't say anything. "I mean now that I think about what we found out about the appearance of the Gnosis, I feel like I can relate to Shion. I myself am responsible for exposing my Universe to the threat of the Gnosis Phenomenon." KOS-MOS was still silent and I looked at the ground. "I just wish I knew what to do. I know I need to help you guys, and yet I also have to accomplish my own mission. I'm being torn in half over this. And so many other things happening as well, like that ARMAGEDDON... thing. I feel kind of lost and confused. I just... I don't know..."

"All you have to do is do what comes natural to you," said KOS-MOS in an unusual tone. Normally KOS-MOS spoke in an emotionless tone, but now she sounded more like a human. I looked back at her and my eyes widened in shock. KOS-MOS' eyes were now blue an she had an expression of concern on her face. "Do what your heart commands you to do. Believe in yourself." Said KOS-MOS reassuringly. Before I could say anything, I sensed several familiar scents appear in the region of space outside of the Durandal. I looked up at the ceiling as I recognized the scents.

"_What? How did they get here?" _

"Something is gating out near the Durandal," said KOS-MOS in her regular tone. I gazed over at her with a look of surprise, she had reverted back to her usual self.

"I'll go check it out, stay here with Shion," I said.

"I am not programmed to follow your or..."

"Yea, yea I know!" I said as I ran out the door towards the bridge.

* * *

OGETSU

* * *

"We've exited Gravitic Warp," said Mirage.

"Good, now we have to figure out where we landed. Pull up the chart," said Cliff.

"Roger," said Marietta. She pulled up the chart onto the screen. "Um... Captain, your not going to believe this."

"What's wrong now?"

"We in an uncharted region of space."

"What's so unusual about that? It just means we probably ended up almost out of the Milky Way Galaxy. What's the nearest Remote Station?"

"That's the thing? There is nothing from our database anywhere nearby, even when I scan out maximum range."

"Okay, maybe we ended up in another galaxy," concluded Cliff. "Do we have ANYTHING to go by?"

"There's a ship showing up on our radar, it is approaching us at this very moment."

"Display." The screen activated and showed a massive red ship with spinning wings that looked more like a sword._ "I've never seen a ship like that before,_" said Cliff in his thoughts.

"Orders, Cliff?" Asked Mirage.

"Let's try and talk to them. I've got a hunch that they aren't interested in fighting," said Cliff.

"I just hope your hunch is right as always. I don't want to find out what kind of weapons these... whatever they are, are equipped with," said Maria.

"Don't worry, I've got it covered," said Cliff.

* * *

THE DURANDAL

* * *

I rushed up to the bridge to see Jr, Jin, chaos, MOMO, and Ziggy up there along with Juli, Canaan, Mary, and Shelley. Apparently they knew that we had company too.

"What's the situation?" I asked.

"This space station just gated out without warning, we didn't even catch it on our radar until it appeared. There was no UMN pulse either," explained Jr. The space station was in clear view now. That style, that structure, where have I seen a ship like that before?

"Little Master, the ship is hailing us," said one of the 100-Series.

"Open the channel, I'd like to know who these guys are," said Jr.

"This is the Ogetsu, a Klausian Orbital Space Station. We come in peace and we'd like to speak with you via video channel," said a familiar voice.

"That voice, I knew it was them!" I exclaimed.

"You know these guys?" Asked Jr. I nodded.

"Yea, I'm pretty sure I know who they are."

"Open the connection," said Jr. A screen popped up with Cliff on it.

"Cliff? What are you guys doing out here?" I asked. He looked over at me.

"Alex? You are a sight for sore eyes. It's a long story though as to how we ended up here."

"Do you think they could come on board?" I asked.

"I have no problem with it since you know them. I'll just trust your judgment on this one, Alex," said Jr.

"Alright, you guys can come on over."

"Okay, we'll be over there shortly." The connection closed.

"I'm not sure if I approve of these strangers coming onboard," said Canaan.

"Don't worry, Alex says they won't cause any trouble. Since he knows them, I'm sure it will be alright," responded Juli. Another minute passed and then another.

"What's taking them so long?" Asked Jr. "Any sign of them leaving that station of theirs?"

"No craft have left the Orbital Station," said one of the 100-Series.

"What are they doing over there, Alex?" Asked Jr as he looked over at me.

"They'll be here shortly." There was the sound of something teleporting behind me. "Like I said." I looked away from Jr's shocked face and over at who Cliff had taken with him. Standing next to him was Mirage and Maria.

"It's good to see you all again."

"Likewise, you look like you're doing pretty well," said Maria.

"What? How did they just do that?" Asked Jr. Cliff looked over at Jr.

"What you've never heard of a transporter?"

"Transportation technology? I never thought I'd see that in real life," commented Jin.

"So what happened?" I asked.

"Well..." Started Cliff. Not too long afterwards, I had an understanding of what had happened.

"The Ark of Union, huh?"

"_So Armageddon was right. The Arks of Union have activated. Which means we are in serious trouble."_ Said Larz in my head.

"_What do you mean?"_

"_The Arks of Union act as torches that guide all life to destruction! It's the power that ARMAGEDDON needs in order to carry out it's purpose. Upon the union of the three Universes, all life will be destroyed." _

"_Shit. Then taking down ARMAGEDDON is our top priority,_" I said.

"_No, I think both Zarathustra and ARMAGEDDON are equally as much of a threat. And don't forget that we still have the Testaments to deal with." _

"_Damn, there are just too many enemies." _

"_And then there is T-elos." _Hearing about that made me feel sad somehow. I thought of all the time I had spent with her over the past few days or so. I thought of how she and I had made a promise. I was hoping our paths could somehow avoid colliding until after the peace had returned. But now that may not be possible.

"Anybody home in there?" Asked Cliff.

"What?" I asked as I was snapped out of my thoughts.

"You went silent for a few moments, is something wrong?"

"No, I was just thinking."

"So what are you doing all the way out here, where are we anyway?" Asked Cliff. Jr and the others helped me out while I explained what had happened so far. Cliff let out a whistle. "Wow, we really jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire this time. But don't worry, we'll lend you guys a hand... if you want help this is."

"Of course we do, we'll need all the help we can get," said Jr.

"Thank you so much, guys," I said.

"Don't mention it, that's what friends are for," said Cliff as he slammed his two fists together.

I shook myself out of my trip down memory lane and refocused on what I have to do here and now. What happened in the past is irrelevant right now.

Later that evening we were all in the lounge of the Elsa (including Canaan, Juli, Mary, and Shelley), eating leftovers from the other night. We all talked and enjoyed ourselves as the night went on. It's moments like those that we need in such dark times.

* * *

Within the next few hours, one fourth of the Federation controlled planets will have vanished because of Abel's Ark. The numbers were staggering, the situation was slowly getting worse by the day. If we didn't do something soon it could be the end of all life just as Larz said. We had all gathered up on the bridge except for Shion who was still knocked out and KOS-MOS who was watching over her.

"This holds the location of Michtam and a copy of the software that allows you to enter hyperspace," said Juli as she handed Cliff a disc.

"Thanks, we'll go install that right now," said Cliff.

"See you guys when we reach Michtam," I said.

"Yup, see you over there," said Maria. The three of them were transported back to the Ogetsu. Jin let out a whistle.

"There technology is truly something else," he said.

"Once the Ogetsu shoots out a flare, make a gate jump to Michtam," ordered Jr. A little less than 10 minutes later, the Ogetsu shot out a red flare, indicating that they were ready. "Alright, you got the signal. Let's move out!" In a matter of seconds, we entered hyperspace and we were on our way to Michtam. The trip was relatively uneventful, fortunately. That is, until an hour or so into the trip when Shion woke up. I came down to check up on her, but that wasn't a happy trip. Shion was a complete emotional wreck. I mean I couldn't blame her for not being in the best of shapes right now, but she was going overboard.

"What do you know?! You don't know anything about him! I'm going to die. Like Mom. Are you saying you don't care?" Was the first thing I heard out of Shion's mouth as I walked into the room.

"Don't be stupid. No brother wants to see his sister die," exclaimed Jin.

"Then-then don't interfere. Let me go to Kevin! Don't take anything else from me!" Cried Shion.

"Shion!"

"GET OUT!" Jin stormed off, as he walked by me and KOS-MOS, he stopped.

"Is it all right for you to leave the room?" Asked KOS-MOS.

"I can't speak for Jin, but I've heard enough. There's nothing I can do to help the situation," I said. Jin let out a helpless sigh.

"Completely pathetic." He said.

"Currently, Shion's mental balance is in an extremely unstable state. That is the likely cause of her attitude towards you. Given time, she should return to her original mental state," explained KOS-MOS. Jin shook his head.

"That's not what I mean. I'm pathetic for being unable to help Shion when she needs me the most. I might as well be a stranger! I'm unable to do anything for her as her brother. KOS-MOS, not that I believe the words of that Testament, but it might really be for the best to remove you from Shion. But right now, you are the only one who can save her. Please. Help Shion." I was going to ask Jin if he wanted to go get a drink, but he seemed like he wasn't in the mood for that. "I just hope KOS-MOS will be able to help her."

"Don't worry, I think she'll be able to do it," I said.

"I hope you are right, Alex."

Later that day I was in the male cabin, finally sending the letters to the King that I hadn't been able to send because of being locked up in the past. Suddenly I heard that high pitch chime, knowing what this meant I looked behind me to see Nephilim standing there.

"You failed to mention that going to Renne-les-Chateau was basically walking right into a trap," I said.

"_Shion is falling into a spiral web, she is slowly rejecting all that around her, but that will only bring her pain,_" said Nephilim._ "She is in pain, and if you are not careful you will feel that same pain yourself." _

"What the hell does that mean?" I asked.

"_Alex, you are falling into a spiral web yourself. The happiness you are soon to find is but a temporary satisfaction. And in the end, you must choose. Will you save the three Universes, or will you destroy them? Will you choose love, or will you choose duty? Either way, there will be a great deal of pain and hardship on the road ahead. But it is this pain that shall awaken the power you need to make your most important choice." _

"I don't understand what your saying, what choice?" Nephilim vanished. "Hey, wait!" I let out a sigh of frustration. "Don't say a bunch of cryptic crap and then leave."

* * *

We were all on the bridge once again. Excluding Shion who was currently taking a nap. I had spoken to her a little bit and it seems like she is recovering a little bit but she is still very unstable. I get the feeling that anything she's doing at this moment is but a mere act to hide what's really going on. And it didn't help that she quickly found out about the reason why I was here, resulting in me getting bombarded with thousands and thousands of apologies. It took me awhile but I finally got her to calm down a bit. I assured her that whatever happened to my Universe was my own burden, not hers.

"We've received reports that Federation and Ormus advance forces…began fighting approximately three hours ago in the space surrounding Michtam," said one of the 100-Series.

"What's happening with the planetary disappearances?" Asked Jin.

"Approximately half of all Galaxy Federation planets have disappeared at this point." How many lives had been lost because of this phenomenon? I dread to think of how high it must be by now. Humanity here in this Universe might soon reach the endangered species list themselves.

"So, your assumption is that Abel's Ark is causing this phenomenon," said Ziggy.

"What's the Ark doing now?" Asked Jr.

"Abel's Ark has appeared in normal space. It appears to be heading for Michtam as we surmised. The Merkabah appears to be pursuing Abel's Ark. Estimated time of contact is 1730," said one of the 100-Series.

"Not even two hours from now. Damn that bastard." About half an hour later, Jr contacted Helmer, the miltian government representative. I had heard of him but I had never seen him before. Helmer was an older man with black skin and no hair. I guess he was at least 48 years old. "Well, there you go. What do you think my old man's up to, Helmer?" Asked Jr.

"Dmitri won't make it easy for us to find out what he's planning. But, even if we don't know how much of the current situation he predicted, if he's brought out the Merkabah and obtained Omega, then there's only one thing he's after," said Helmer.

"The original Zohar swallowed by the Ark!" Exclaimed Jr.

"That's why he wanted Omega and Abel and whatever is sleeping on Michtam," said Juli.

"Do you think his goal is to wipe out Ormus?" Asked MOMO.

"Nah, I don't think that's it. Dad probably isn't even concerned with Ormus anymore. Dad was… he has an extreme fear of U-DO. Everything he does seems to be rooted in that fear. And when he got the Y-Data, he found what he wanted... a way to conquer his fear," explained Jr.

"Afraid of U-DO, huh?" I said.

"Hm. Are you still unable to make contact with the Representative Trustee?" Asked Helmer.

"Yes, communication with Fifth Jerusalem has been cut off since the appearance of Abel's Ark," stated Shelley.

"The planetary disappearance is already spreading. It's no surprise we can't make contact," commented Canaan.

"The situation is grave here on Miltia as well. We're launching escape ships one after another, but we don't know if we'll make it in time. And for that matter, we don't know if the planetary disappearance phenomenon affects us as well," said Helmer. Canaan huffed loudly.

"You humans are hopeless. It's times like this when you should be working together."

"What you're saying is sad but true, Canaan. We're using most of the Miltian fleet as escape ships, so we don't have any left to aid you. This will probably be my last communication with you as well."

"Helmer..." Said Jr.

"I'll need you to operate under your own judgment. Do what you think is best. I apologize for asking so much of you, even up to the very end. Committee Member Mizrahi, please take care of the rest." With that, the screen turned off.

"The transmission from Miltia has ended," stated one of the 100-series.

"Dammit!" Exclaimed Jr.

"What are you hesitating for?" Asked Shion and she and KOS-MOS arrived at the bridge.

"Shion, are you all right?" Asked Jr.

"Yes, I feel fine."

"But, you shouldn't push yourself after what just happened," protested Allen.

"Are you sure you want me around? Because, you know I might call the Gnosis again, or maybe run off to join the enemy?" Asked Shion jokingly.

"Of course not. Everyone's worried about your health," said Jr.

"I know my own body better than anyone. You can stop worrying," said Shion with a tone of annoyance in her voice.

"Shion..." Said Jin.

"This isn't the time to be arguing about this, isn't it? If Dmitri Yuriev is trying to use the Zohar for his own purpose, we have to find out what it is. Once it's already happened, it'll be too late!"

"Yeah, I know! Shion, right now, we need all the help we can get. Are you going to be all right?" Asked Jr. Shion looked a little mad about being pestered constantly.

"How many times do I have to say it? I'm fine." Jr nodded.

"Okay! We'll launch the Elsa as soon as we gate out. We'll pass through the fighting between the Federation and Ormus to get to the Merkabah. There, we'll secure Omega and Dmitri Yuriev, who should be at the center. The Durandal will stand by for support in the rear! All hands, prepare to move out!" Jr looked over at me. "What are you going to do, Alex?"

"Unless you say otherwise, I am going to go with you. But once we are there I will speak with Cliff and the others about our plan of attack," I said.

"No, I think there's a better job for you," said Canaan. We all looked over at him. "It's a bit of a risk, but you have Omega Universitas in your possession. Omega Res Novae is going to be out there and it may pose as a threat to this operation. Pilot Omega Universitas and keep Omega Res Novae at bay if necessary. If you can capture it that would foil Dimitri Yuriev's plan."

"That's suicide!" Exclaimed Juli.

"Without the Original Zohar, Omega Res Novae stands no chance against Omega Universitas, that is assuming Alex is capable of surviving that system."

"Are you talking about the Id system? There's no way in hell any ordinary human can survive using that mode for more than a minute," said Allen.

"The Id system?" I asked.

"The Id System is a feature unique to Omega Universitas. It reads the impulses of the pilot and once the pilot's mental state reaches a certain peak, Omega Universitas transforms and it's power is increased ten fold. But the output can potentially severely damage, if not kill the pilot inside," said Juli.

"That IS suicide. Don't even think about accepting a mission like that, not on your own anyway," said Shion as she looked over at me.

"Then I'll stick with you guys and..."

"We're gating out now," said Shelley.

"Umm, Little Master?" Asked Mary.

"What is it?" Asked Jr.

"There are two planets that are unusually close to Michtam, in triangle formation."

"What the hell is this?" Asked Canaan as he looked out the window. I looked out the window as well. We had gated out almost right next to the ark, just outside of the cage section which contained the sphere of blue energy that looked like a planet. Way in the distance behind the Ark was a dull brown planet which was probably Michtam. I could see lights from the ensuing fight between the Federation and Ormus. It looked like the Gnosis were there as well. I was surprised when I recognized the planet on the right. It was Styx, but why Styx in this Universe? But when I saw the other planet, I gasped. Radiant Garden was n the left side of the 'planet triangle'.

"Radiant Garden!" I exclaimed. Cliff, Mirage, and Maria popped up onto the video screen.

"By the gods, why is Styx here?" Asked Mirage.

"I have no idea what the hell is going on."

"And Radiant Garden is here too," said Maria.

"Yea, it's hard to tell from this distance but I can detect the scents of Leon and the others. But for whatever reason it seems like Sora and his friends are there too along with Luther and King Mickey."

"Do you think this is the beginning of the Tri-Unification?" Asked Maria.

"Most likely," I said. Suddenly my Connection Gear started beeping. I pulled it out and activated it. I was getting an audio transmission from Luther.

"Alex... can y... ...ere me?" Said Luther on the other end. It was hard to hear what he was saying because there was an unusual amount of static.

"Yes, Luther. I can hear you!"

"Then get your... back h...re... we need back up!"

"What the hell is going on over there?" I asked.

"No.. time... to explain! Ju... get do..n here and lend us a hand!" The transmission ended. I looked over at Jr.

"I'm sorry but I have to go there and save them!" Jr nodded.

"Don't worry about it. I suspect that they are being attacked by the Gnosis. All the ships in that region are probably using their Hilbert effect equipped 100-Series via amplifiers. So you shouldn't have any trouble defeating the Gnosis. Just watch out because the Gnosis are attacking in mass numbers," said Jr.

"Alex, we'll come give you a hand while the Ogetsu stays behind to help the Durandal with support," said Cliff.

"Understood, see you guys down there." The transmission ended. We all rushed to the Elsa. I picked up the new battle suit from Professor and put it on. Then I joined Shion and the others as we geared up and got into our mobile weapons. "Alright, let's go," I said as I activated Omega Universitas. We were all sent to the launch pad and shot off into space. As we followed the Elsa I was beginning to see how big the Ark really was and how large scale this battle had become. There were Gnosis everywhere and thousands of Federation and Ormus ships. There were explosions everywhere, and lasers and bullets firing all over the place. As we neared the Merkabah, I broke out of rank and shot towards Radiant Garden.

"Good luck Alex," said Jr through the COM channel.

"Yes, be sure to come back alive," said Jin.

"Same to you guys," I responded

"The Gnosis may be vulnerable now, but don't underestimate them," advised chaos.

"Be careful with Omega, it sounds like using it could prove to be dangerous," added Ziggy.

"Understood." With that I continued my descent towards Radiant Garden. As I cleared the atmosphere I could see a Gnosis dropping off smaller Gnosis onto the planet. "No way in hell!" I shouted as I accelerated towards the Gnosis. Omega Universitas' hand stared glowing and as I neared the Gnosis I punched it right in the back, sending it flying downwards. I used it as a cushion to break the fall as I crash landed right in the middle of the town square. I opened the cockpit door and jumped out while turning off Omega Universitas and locking the cockpit. I summoned Larz. "I'm taking Radiant Garden back from the Gnosis!" With that I ran towards the nearest Gnosis, ready to fight.

* * *

So the battle begins. Will Alex and the others be able to take Radiant Garden back? And how will Shion and the others fare in their own mission? Find out in the next chapter. 


	14. The Zohar Emulators

Here it is, the next chapter. Enjoy! But as you know, it's disclaimer time.

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Ocean, Kingdom Hearts, or Xenosaga.

* * *

Chapter 14: The Zohar Emulators

I looked around at what was left of the town. There were fires everywhere, rubble littered the ground, and Gnosis waltzed around like they owned the place. I looked down at the ground and I saw chunks of something white. I grabbed the largest chunk and turned it over. It was the head of a civilian from this town. He had a look of terror frozen on his face. I placed the head down and clenched my fist. There were dead bodies everywhere. It was a horrifying sight.

"Those bastards will pay," I growled. With Larz in hand I charged towards the nearest Gnosis. I slashed it in half and then cut the head off of the one behind the first one I killed. My objective was to rendezvous with King Mickey and the others. I had a good as to where they are. I charged further into the ruined city killing any Gnosis I came across. One of them started shooting projectiles at me. I ran along the wall to avoid the attacks and I kicked off the wall towards the enemy shooting sharp spines at me. I blocked the wave of spikes being shot at me and I killed one of the air borne Gnosis. I stabbed the other one in the air and used it as a shield to block the next volley of spikes. Then I lunged forward, and slashed the Gnosis in half. Several more jumped off of the rooftop and surrounded me. I unstrapped my shotgun and got ready for the creatures to come at me. The first one that lunged was cut in half by Larz. Then I impaled a nearby Gnosis with Larz by throwing him at it. The next Gnosis to attack me got smacked with the butt of the shot gun, followed by the one behind me. I back flipped over the next one that attacked me and fired the shot gun in mid air as I was perfectly lined up with it's head. The Gnosis burst into pieces and I retrieved Larz.

The first building I came across that was still in relatively good condition was Merlin's house. I didn't go inside since I knew that everyone wasn't there. They were probably in the castle. So I proceeded towards the castle, and after fighting more Gnosis I finally arrived at the Postern. The entrance was guarded by Leon and Yuffie. As I approached they first looked directly at me and then they looked at the weapon I was holding.

"Alex! Welcome back!" Exclaimed Yuffie energetically.

"We knew you would come. Though for a moment I didn't know it was you. That armor made it hard to tell," said Leon. I looked up at the sky as I saw a shuttle land on the Postern.

"And I didn't come alone," I said. Cliff, Mirage, and Maria stepped out of the Shuttle.

"We sent a few rounds down into the areas hot with activity. That should slow them down,' said Maria.

"Excellent. Let's head into the castle," I said. We went inside and Leon closed the door, locking it. As we were walking I noticed the civilians of the city walking to the big room in this maze of corridors, all of them were traveling in groups. As we walked by, the looked up as Cliff, Mirage, Maria, and I passed by. I could hear them whisper things on the line of this.

"Who are these guys?"

"Are they a secret spec-ops team?"

"They don't look like residents."

"That guy in the black armor looks tough, those alien bastards won't stand a chance."

"No way, a Keyblade!"

A minute later we arrived at the hallway before Ansem's Study. Leon opened the door and Yuffie went charging in. Leon let out a sigh and looked over at me.

"Go on in." I nodded and walked in. Luther, King Mickey, Donald, Goofy, Sora, Riku, Kairi, Merlin, Cid, and Aerith huddled around Ansem's Desk as they were discussing something. Ansem's Study had been cleaned up considerably since we had first been in here a year ago, and now a portrait of Ansem the Wise was hung in the back of the room. But I don't know what happened to the portrait of Xehanort.

"No, as bad as things are we are not abandoning this world," said King Mickey. Luther slammed his hand on the desk.

"We are outnumbered! Even if Alex comes back we still barely stand a chance," said Luther.

"Even so we have to try. We can't let them destroy Radiant Garden," said Sora.

"I appreciate your optimism but that isn't going to help the fact that those monsters are landing in waves by the THOUSANDS! We must evacuate!"

"This world has been plagued with several crises, and yet it has overcome them all," I said. Everyone shot around and looked at me.

"Alex!" Cried Sora, Donald, and Goofy.

"That's right, he's back!" Exclaimed Yuffie energetically. King Mickey smiled for a moment but then he glared at me and began to approach me with his hands behind his back. I removed my helmet and placed it on the table.

"Alex, if you knew our Universe was in danger, why didn't you tell us things had gotten so bad?" He exclaimed. I looked down at the ground.

"The whole situation is my fault. I let those creatures, the Gnosis into our Universe by opening a connection between the other Universe so that I could get back and continue fighting Organization XIII. The burden of my sins was my own to bare," I said.

"You don't have to carry out such a task by yourself, do you not trust us?" Asked Kairi. I shook my head.

"No, it's not that. I just didn't want to get you guys involved in a potentially suicidal mission," I said.

"Suicidal is a good description of your 'mission'. We've read the letters you sent, and I must say that this is something you should not have gotten involved in," said Luther.

"I think it's destiny that I ended up helping Shion and the others. Something in my bones tells me that I am supposed to be there by their side. So tell me, what's happened here? I'm aware that the Arks of Union started this." Everyone filled me in on how Radiant Garden was engulfed by light from the Ark of Union. They noticed two other planets up in the sky, and ships fighting around them. Then all of a sudden a giant structure, Abel's Ark, appeared out of nowhere. Not too long after that, the Gnosis began landing on Radiant Garden and started attacking.

"If the Tri-Unification continues, all three Universes will be combined. And then ARMAGEDDON will destroy everything," I said.

"ARMAGEDDON?" Asked King Mickey.

"That thing has awoken? Damn, then we don't have much time," said the Twilight Horizon as it appeared in Luther's hand.

"Apparently so, I encountered that thing not too long ago," I said.

"Then why didn't you destroy it?" Exclaimed Donald.

"You've got to be kidding me, that thing is no ordinary enemy. It would be safe to say that thing has the power of a God," I said.

"Makes sense. A being that's purpose is to destroy everything would have a lot of power," said Riku.

"What do you propose we do?" Asked Luther.

"Shion and the others are working on taking down that madman Dimitri Yuriev. We'll focus on saving Radiant Garden. Then I'll head down to Michtam, find Zarathustra, and destroy it. And then finally we'll find ARMAGEDDON and take that bastard down," I said.

"Do you really believe we can take down that thing?" Asked Merlin.

"Yes, I believe so. It may be a being of destruction but it is not invincible."

"You're right. We took down Organization XIII, we can easily defeat ARMAGEDDON and whoever else get's in our way," said Sora.

"What about those Testaments?" Asked Leon.

"I know their weakness. I'll help Shion and the others take them down."

"What about that T-elos person?" Asked Riku. I mentally flinched. The thought of having to deal with her was not a pleasant one. If it really comes down to that, someone else can deliver the killing blow. I couldn't possibly do it.

"We'll deal with her too. But first, let's take Radiant Garden back!" I said as I slammed my helmet back onto my head.

"Yea Alex! Way to be a leader!" Cheered Cliff as he slammed his hand across my back.

"What do you suggest, General Rothrock?" Asked King Mickey. I shot around and looked over at my King like he had just said the craziest thing.

"G-general? Your Majesty, that's one hell of a promotion!" I stammered.

"I know, but I feel you are suited for it. You know the situation the best out of anyone here. But this time you are not alone, we'll stand with you and fight!"

"For our Universe!" Said Kairi. There was a cheer of agreement amongst us all, even I let out a cheer.

"Alright, do we have a map of Radiant Garden?" I asked. Merlin waved his hand and a map appeared. "How far have the Gnosis spread?"

"They are only in the town, where there are people," said Cid.

"Then we'll split up into groups and take out the enemy." I pointed to various squares on the map. Everyone volunteered to take certain sections, but at the end there was one section left and the only person not in a group was me. "I'll handle this zone. What area is in this zone?"

"That's the Northern Bailey," explained Yuffie. "I think you should take this road north." Yuffie drew an invisible line from the Northern Bailey across the various rows of streets and all the way up towards a block I didn't recognize. "And this is where you'll stop. There should be a vehicle you can use to rendezvous back here when you have cleared that sector."

"Alex, please try to save this place," said Aerith as she pointed to the block I didn't recognize.

"What is that place?"

"It's Radiant Garden's pride and joy. Watermark, the most beautiful natural park in all of Radiant Garden. We worked hard to restore it, Ansem the Wise loved that place with a strong passion. That is where his grave is as well," explained Leon

"It is a symbol of hope for all the people of Radiant Garden, it must not be lost," said Aerith. I nodded.

"Don't worry, I'll protect that place." I looked over at everyone. "Everyone know what they gotta do?" Everyone nodded.

"Let's just start already!" Exclaimed Cliff impatiently as he slammed his fists together.

"You heard him, let's take back Radiant Garden!" I shouted. There was a roar of approval and everyone moved out. Maria placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Good luck, Alex. Don't get yourself killed," she said with a smirk. I placed my hand on her shoulder as well.

"Same to you." Maria left with Cliff and Mirage. Luther was about to leave with Leon and Cid when he turned around to face me.

"Alex, are you sure you want to handle that area on your own?" I nodded.

"Yea, I'll be alright. I may not have achieved the Last Requirement yet, but I can still put up a good fight."

"Happy hunting then," said Luther as he held out his hand.

"Happy hunting to you too, Luther," I said as I shook his hand. Luther left with his group, leaving me alone in Ansem's Study. I headed out to the Northern Bailey, which was deeper in the city... in retrospect, maybe going all the way out here was a bad idea. I quickly found out that my radio transmitter wasn't working, which meant that there might as well not be a COM channel for me. So if I got in trouble I wouldn't be able to call for back up. Problem two would be how many Gnosis were in this area.

I slashed a Gnosis in half as I started clearing out one of the smaller streets of the town. I aimed my Keyblade at several flying Gnosis and picked them off with several blasts of various magic spells. I had barely made any progress through this street before the Gnosis started coming with massive amounts of reinforcements. For every one I killed, three more took it's place. Soon I was surrounded by Gnosis on all sides. On the ground, on the walls, and in the sky. I killed one that was charging at me and then they all started coming at me.

"Not good, definitely not good." Suddenly there was a wave of explosions sent through the Gnosis, killing all of them. I looked behind me to see a cloud of smoke, and even though I couldn't see who it was I already knew who had joined the fight because of the scent... T-elos. She stood their looking like she was bored. "T-elos!" I exclaimed out of shock. I was not expecting to run into her, hopefully she isn't her to try and assassinate me or something.

"It's nice to see you too, Alex," she said. We both looked ahead as Gnosis began to approach us. They ambled down the stairs and towards us.

"You up for this?" I asked T-elos as I looked over at her. She gave me the thumbs up.

"Of course I am," she said. Her Vibro-Blade shot out of her wrist guard and I held out Larz. We looked at each other, nodded, and charged towards the Gnosis coming towards us. We ran through the Gnosis, slashing them up as we went. I pulled out my shotgun and shot a Gnosis, then T-elos jumped over me and opened fire with her hand gun, killing multiple Gnosis. We swept through the Gnosis that blocked our path and we reached a street that was wider than the tight corridor of buildings we were in a moment ago. There were even more Gnosis here, this area really was hit the hardest. But as I saw the sheer amount of Gnosis I began to formulate an idea as to how to fight them all. Something was coming to my head, and I figured it wouldn't hurt to try it out.

"T-elos! Head to the roof top!" T-elos shot me a confused look. "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing!" T-elos nodded and jumped onto the roof, she then started shooting any airborne Gnosis that were flying around. I began to charge a flare spell in my right hand. Then I slammed my right hand onto the ground. Multiple waves of flares shot up from the ground and hit the enemy, but there was no sound... that is until a few seconds later when there was a massive sonic boom that caused the ground to shake and break all the nearby windows. When the flares died down, all the Gnosis on the ground had been destroyed. T-elos dropped down onto the ground and approached me.

"What was that? That attack is not registered in my database as a move that you can use," she said with a look of surprise on her face.

"I just thought of the attack all of a sudden and I figured I would try it."

"I see. So that means that your power is beginning to..." She shook her head. "No, never mind. Let's keep moving." I activated my connection gear and looked at the map.

"Our target is just ahead. Move out." We walked along the street for awhile, but there weren't any Gnosis in this area for some odd reason. We eventually reached an area whre there were no buildings and were walking inside a small rocky, blue ravine that looked a lot like the outside areas of the town, like the Maw that leads to Villain's Vale. Eventually we came to a grand set of stairs. At the top of the stairs was a small building. Out of curiosity, T-elos and I entered the building. All that was in there was a large elevator platform. We took the elevator down and we ended up in a small cave that acted as a small passageway between the elevator room and the next room up ahead. There was one small door in front of us and that was all. I twisted the handle and the door swung open quite easily. As we walked into the next room, T-elos and I gasped in awe.

"I was not expecting this," said T-elos.

"Me either." We were in a large, ceiling less cave. We could see the battle raging up in space from where we stood. All around us were flowers, lot's and lot's of flowers. There were trees, shrubs, and all kinds of plants here too. In the middle of the cave was a circular body of water that had small streams and creaks running through this massive cave. At the center of the lake, there were three azure crystals spinning in the air and pouring out water into the stream below. This part of the cave must be at least a few miles in size. It was truly an amazing sight. "This must be Watermark, it is beautiful." I took several steps further into this spectacular garden.

"I don't see or sense any Gnosis, do you?" Asked T-elos. I looked over at her.

"No, I don't see any Gnosis here. I guess this sector is all clear." T-elos nodded in acknowledgment.

"Well, now that the fun is over I must be off. I'll deal with you later." With that T-elos jumped through the sky way and off towards her base... wherever that is.

"Well done, your efforts have saved this wonderful place," said a voice. I shot around to see my father standing there in an Organization XIII outfit.

"Why are you here?" I asked. My Father shrugged.

"Because I felt like coming over," he said simply. I let out a sigh.

"I'm not in the mood for the family wise ass gimmick," I said. "So why are you here? Aren't you supposed to be with those Testaments and their leader?" I demanded.

"I am with them, but it's not for their purposes. I have my own agenda to go by. I want to save these Universes and stop the Tri-Unification just as much as you do."

"You've got an odd way of showing it," I said.

"Don't worry, you'll understand what I'm planning to do soon enough." With that, my Father disappeared in a portal of darkness. I left Watermark and headed up to the outside of the small building. I remember Yuffie saying that there was some sort of vehicle up here, but I didn't feel like using it. That is until a bunch of heartless popped up.

"Dammit, I don't have time for you freaks!" I shouted. I ran over to a small garage on the left of the building. I kicked the large metal door in, then I grabbed it and threw it out of the garage so that it didn't fall on the vehicle inside. The transport that Yuffie had mentioned turned out to be a gray ATV. So I got onto it and started looking for keys. But when I couldn't find any and saw the Heartless advancing towards the garage entrance in an attempt to block me I summoned Larz. "The hell with getting the keys, I'll just improvise!" I aimed Larz at the ignition keyhole and turned on the ATV. Then I dismissed Larz and accelerated. I sped right through the Heartless, running several of them over. I twisted through the ravine and not too long afterwards I had arrived at the castle postern. I used Larz again to turn the ATV off and I began to walk towards the entrance.

"Oh great, now I'm a car key," said Larz.

"Don't worry, it was just that one time," I assured him. I walked up to the locked door and pressed the button on the side of th door as I leaned forward to speak into the small box.

"This is Alex. I have cleared my sector and am reporting back," I said.

"Hang on, we'll open the door in a moment," said Yuffie. There was a rusty creek and the door opened up. I walked in and Yuffie closed the door. "Welcome back, Alex. You are the last one to make it back. Everyone is in Ansem's Study."

"Alright, let's go then." We walked into Ansem's Study to see everyone talking happily. I envied that they could be happy over such a small victory. This battle was far from over.

"Took you long enough, Alex," said Maria with a smirk on her face. I grinned.

"Sorry I took so long, I got delayed a little bit," I said as I took my helmet off.

"Is Watermark safe?" Asked Aerith with a tone of concern. I nodded.

"Yes, it is safe." Aerith smiled and let out a sigh of relief.

"We did it, Alex! We've driven those creatures off!" Exclaimed Sora.

"We showed them!" Shouted Donald excitedly. Sora, Donald, and Goofy joined hands and started jumping around happily.

"I'd hate to break it to you, but this battle is far from over," I said. The three of them stopped bouncing around and looked over at me as their smiles melted off their faces.

"What? Are you kidding me?" Exclaimed Sora

"I agree, we may have driven off the enemy for now. But there is no guarantee that they won't come back," said Riku.

"I'm going to go back up into space and head to Michtam," I said.

"And we will all stay here and protect Radiant Garden," said King Mickey. Merlin then waved his hands and a three dimensional map of this region of space appeared. It showed the three Universes combining into one and the current rate of progress.

"Your Majesty, I'm afraid we may have to start spreading out our forces," said Merlin.

"What do you mean?" Asked King Mickey as he looked over at the sorcerer.

"The Univereses are slowly but surely being pulled together. Within the next hour an a half, Twilight Town, Your Castle, The Land of Dragons, Beast's Castle, and Olympus Coliseum will all be pulled into this merging Universe. Followed by the realm of darkness, Atlantica, and Port Royal shortly afterwards. Within four hours, all of the planets Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Alex visited will be pulled into this Universe." King Mickey seemed concerned and worried about this development. Everyone was.

"That means the islands will be in danger too," said Kairi sadly. Sora placed an arm around Kairi, trying to comfort her. King Mickey looked over at me.

"Alex, you've got to destroy Zarathustra and ARMAGEDDON at once. I know it's a suicidal task to ask of you, but right now you are the only one who might have a chance at stopping this impending destruction. If the Heartless and the Nobodies get involved in this battle it wil only make things worse."

"Yes, Your Majesty!" I said as I saluted. But then I looked a everyone. "What about you guys? What are you going to do?"

"We're gonna stay here and protect this world and any other world that ends up in this hell hole!" Said Cid.

"There's lotsa help here, Alex! We can take care of this battle. You need to focus on your own battle," said King Mickey. I nodded.

"Okay, I'll get going right now!"

"What about your friends from the other Universe?" Asked Mirage. I looked over at her and Cliff.

"How do you think thins are going with Shion and the others?" Asked Cliff.

"I assume that by now, that lunatic, Dimitri Yuriev has been captured and Jr and the others will be on their way..." It was about this time that my connection gear went off. I pulled it out and activated it. On screen was Shion. "Oh, hey Shion. How are things going up there?" She shook her head.

"Nothing, short of a disaster. The information about Yuriev being in the core of the Merkabah was a lie, a diversion," she said.

"What? Then where is that crazy old man?" I asked. A screen of Jr popped up to the right of Shion.

"That old bastard is heading right toward the Durandal! He's after the Zohar Emulators!" Exclaimed Jr with a look of anger on his face.

"But why is he after the Emulators? I thought he was only interested in the Original."

"That's the thing. The emulators act as an ignition laser for the Original. If he has all the emulators and the original, he will be able to carry out his plans," explained Shion.

"When can you get back over here?" Asked Jr.

"Operation Liberation was a success. I can head back at any..."

"Good, then get back up here! We can always use another helping hand."

"Roger that. I'll be up there shortly." A screen popped up with KOS-MOS on it.

"Alex, I recommend that you take Omega Universitas and intercept Omega Res Novae," said KOS-MOS. Shion looked up where KOS-MOS was seated.

"KOS-MOS, are you serious?" She asked. KOS-MOS nodded.

"Yes, by fighting Omega Res Novae for at least two minutes will give us plenty of time to get to the dock without being shot down. Fear not, with Omega Universitas there is a 90.99998 probability of Alex's survival. Fortunately Omega Res Novae has not been equipped with the Original Zohar yet."

"Alright, we're counting on you to cover us, Alex," said Jr.

"Alright, see you in a few," I said. I disconnected and put away my connection gear. I looked at King Mickey. "Your Majesty, as you can see the fight isn't over yet. I'm going up there and carrying out the plan... of course we're going to stop Dimitri as well." King Mickey nodded and folded his arms and looked at me with an expression of worry.

"Alex, I can't say that the missions you are undertaking are going to be easy. On the contrary, your mission is suicidal with a capital 'S'. Are you sure you want to do this?" I nodded without even hesitating.

"Sir, yes sir! I have come this far, and I'm not quitting now." King Mickey smiled.

"I knew you'd say that. Don't cha worry about this Universe, there's lot of help here already." I nodded. Then I looked over at Sora.

"Sorry, I won't be fighting by your side like last year." Sora shrugged.

"Ah don't worry about it. But when you get back, tell us everything that happened," he said. I gave him the thumbs up and nodded.

"Sure thing." I put on my helmet and looked at Luther.

"Take care of things here, okay?" He saluted.

"You got it... 'General'. Be careful."

"Don't worry, I will." We shook hands and then I left. As I got out of the castle, I opened a portal and landed next to Omega Universitas. I opened up the cockpit, jumped in, and activated the power supply. With that I shot into the sky and soon found myself back on the battlefield. The Ark was drawing closer to Michtam, Gnosis fleets were flying around everywhere and shooting at various targets. AWMS and AGWS alike fought each other along with small attacker ships. Ormus and Federation ships continued to attack each other as well. The Durandal was docked by several federation ships on the sides. I had a lot of distance between here and the Durandal and judging by the situation there wasn't much time to act. The only problem was that the most direct path to the Durandal took me right in the middle of the battle, which could be problematic if I'm not careful.

"You ready?" Asked Larz.

"Let's do this!" I said as I pulled back the acceleration stick. I shot right into the battle, as I set a nav point to indicate the Durandal's position. I dodged and sped by remains of ships and AWMS and came across an entire squad of Federation AWMS. They started shooting at me, naturally. I dodged their shots and as I neared the cloest AWMS I grabbed it by the leg and threw it at two other AWMS, throwing them back. Then I came at another AWMS and punched it's head clean off. I started to get closer to the Durandal, which is when I saw the Elsa just ahead. "This is Alex, I'm right behind you guys... literally and metaphorically," I said as I opened up a COM channel. A screen popped up with Jr on it.

"Good timing! You know what you have to do, right?" Asked Jr. I nodded.

"Yeah, I'll join you guys once you break through." The connection was cut and I zoomed towards the front of the Elsa, where Omega Res Novae stood guard. The Elsa continued moving down towards the lower dock. As I got into striking range of Omega, I pulled my fist back and punched it with maximum output. "You like that?" I shouted as Omega Res Novae stumbled from the attack. The large mobile weapon let out some sort of roar and began charging some sort of orange energy attack at the tip of it's mouth/face. "That can't be good." The light got brighter and then the energy was discharged in the form of a massive energy beam. I just barely managed to dodge the massive blast. "Son of a bitch!" I exclaimed in shock.

"1 direct hit and say goodbye," said Larz.

"Seriously, hopefully Shion and the others will..."

"Alex..." Said a raspy voice. Omega Res Novae stopped moving, almost as if the pilot had gone to sleep or something. Is this the pilot of Omega Res Novae talking? This scent... it's like that little kid's scent

"Who... who are you?"

"I am the will of the Universe. The wills that exist in this Universe call me... U-DO," said the voice.

"What? U-DO?" I exclaimed in shock.

"What... drives you will to fight?" Asked U-DO.

"My will... to fight?" I thought for a moment, and then finally I spoke. "I fight to protect," I said, clenching the control sticks.

"To protect, to create, you must destroy, kill, and conquer."

"I know what I have to do!"

"Fascinating. Some are lost and confused. Others face their dilemma with a strong, unyielding resolve. You are different from Shion."

"Wait, you've been talking to Shion too? Why?" I asked.

"I want to know you, and all the wills in a dissipating world." With that, U-DO's presence vanished and Omega Res Novae started up again. It let out a roar and started charging it's main cannon again.

"Shit! Let's get out of here!" I shouted as I turned around and shot towards the lower dock.

* * *

RADIANT GARDEN

* * *

"More Gnosis fleets are heading this way!" Exclaimed Luther as the alarm on the radar went off.

"When will they land?" Asked Cliff.

"Less than an hour from now." There was a beep on the computer.

"The last file fragment has been decoded," said Tron.

"We have some time, let's access it," said King Mickey.

"Roger that," said Luther as he opened the file. A diagram popped up showing Alex's head on the left and on the right was a broken helmet that was all rusted. The entire right side of the diagram was fading to static every few seconds or so as if the file was severely damaged. Next to and below both pictures was various bits of info.

"The data on the right is really old! I'm surprised it can still be accessed," commented Maria.

"What's with this diagram? It's entirely info about Alex," said Cliff.

"What kind of info? I can't even read half of it," said Sora.

"A lot of it is basic information like height, weight, weapons, background, etc. But then there are some really weird things listed here," responded Maria.

"There's that 'Reuel' name again," said Riku.

"Gwarsh, didn't T-elos call Alex that name?" Asked Goofy.

"She did. But why would he have a different name entirely?" Asked Kairi. She looked at Luther "Was that his nick name or something?" Luther shook his head.

"No, Alex was never called Reuel until now."

"Reuel... Alex... hmm..." Said King Mickey as he folded his arms and closed his eyes. He jumped in the air a few seconds later as he realized something. "Wait a minute! Now I remember!"

"Remembered what, your Majesty?" Asked Donald.

"Many years ago, I met a Keyblade Wielder named Reuel. Alex looks just like him, well Alex is much older than Reuel from back then. When I last saw Reuel he was only 14 years old. The enemy must have known Reuel from back then too and are mistaking Alex for him," said King Mickey.

"That makes sense," said Sora. "It's like how Organization XIII kept calling me Roxas." Luther looked at the data for a moment and then he turned back to his comrades.

"That is a good theory, but I'm afraid it's wrong. Look at the DNA sample," said Luther.

"He's right," said Mirage as she looked at the sample on the list.

"Judging by this, perhaps the reason for them calling Alex 'Reuel' is not a mistake at all," said Maria.

"What do you mean?" Asked Sora.

"The DNA of an individual only has to differ by 0.1 in order to make that individual completely different from another person," explained Mirage.

"But that's not the case with Alex and Reuel," said Cliff. Luther nodded.

"Right, according to this data, it's not that Alex just looks like Reuel by coincidence. Alex IS Reuel," said Luther.

"But that's impossible, the Reuel from back then was killed in action during the Keyblade War," said King Mickey.

"That was some time ago, even if the report was wrong and he survived he would be much older than he is now," said Merlin.

"Alex has a father and had a mother, so he couldn't have been cloned. Which means that he couldn't have fought in the Keyblade War. And yet there are records of him having done so," said Maria. Sora ruffled his hair and slumped.

"AGH! This makes no sense!" He shouted.

"Regardless, this is a good point. It can't be denied that Alex and Reuel are the exact same person."

"Even if it doesn't make any damn sense no matter how you look at it," commented Cid. "Now let's focus on teaching those freaks not to mess with us."

"Reinforce our defenses and check all the equipment. They'll be here shortly," ordered King Mickey.

* * *

THE DURANDAL

* * *

I docked Omega Universitas inside the Elsa's hangar. From there I headed up and went outside to Rendezvous with Shion and the others. But the Durandal's dock brought forth a horrifying sight. All over the place were dead bodies of the Durandal's crew. Soldiers, 100-Series Realians, Maintenance Workers, and more. The stench of blood and death was strong here, this must be the work of Dimitri Yuriev and his soldiers. I clenched my fists in anger.

"This is unbelievable," said Larz.

"So much innocent blood was spilled here, and for that those bastards must die!" I growled. I detected Shion's scent and I used that to pin point where I should teleport. I landed in a room in the Residential Area. Everyone was here, including Mary (who seemed to be wounded), Shelly, Juli Mizrahi, Canaan, and a little white dog.

"Why do you insist on making entrances like that?" Asked Canaan.

"Because it's the quickest way to catch up with you guys," I said. "What's the situation?"

"We searched for survivors, and now we're going to go stop that bastard," said Jr. I looked at Mary, Shelley, Juli, and Canaan.

"Are these the only survivors?"

"I'm afraid so," said Jin gravely. I clenched my fist in anger.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's stop that mad man," I said. Jr looked over at Canaan.

"Canaan, escape and escort Mary, Shelley, and Juli to the Elsa. It's in the dock," said Jr.

"Understood," responded Canaan.

"Be careful... all of you," said Juli. We left the Residential Area and headed to the Isolated area. This place was littered with dead bodies as well. The path that lead to the Zohar room was a series of small corridors separated by automatically opening doors. As we got to the door leading to the Zohar room we stopped as we saw a person guarding the door. It was a women in a Recon-style military uniform. She had short orange hair and yellow eyes. On her waste was some sort of weapon that was probably an electric rod. She looked at Jr and smirked.

"Hello, number 666. It's been a long time," she said. Jr let out a gasp, apparently he seems to know her somehow.

"Jr?" Asked chaos.

"Ci-Citrine…" Stammered Jr.

"I'm so happy to see you. You're the only comrade I have left," said Citrine.

"Comrade? She's a URTV as well." Concluded chaos.

"Yes, female type, number 668, Citrine. She's a variant URTV, like us," explained Jr. He then looked back over at his comrade. "If you're on guard here, then Dad must be inside!"

"And if he is? I won't let you interfere with Father," said Citrine with a sneer on her face.

"Are you an idiot?! Don't you understand what's going on? If we don't stop him, this entire universe will be in danger! Not to mention two other universes as well."

"You're the one who doesn't understand, Rubedo. Have you forgotten our duty? Our mission is to destroy U-DO. It doesn't matter what happens to the universe as long as we accomplish that," said Citrine.

"So Dad plans to use the power of the emulators and the original to destroy U-DO?" Asked Jr.

"A failure who's forgotten his role as a weapon and abandoned his duty has no right to speak to me!" Exclaimed Citrine in a tone of anger.

"Citrine, stop! I don't want to lose any more of my comrades!"

"Comrades? You abandoned us! You're no comrade to us!"

"Citrine..."

"I forgot to mention, but I have one more duty. I have the power to destroy the Red Dragon, just like Nigredo. Do you think you can defeat me?" Asked Citrine with a sneer. She pulled out her electric rod and was about to charge towards us when Jr whipped out one of his guns and shot her. Citrine dropped her rod, clutched the right side of her torso, and fell to her knees. "No... Father..." She said. After taking several deep breaths, she looked up at her brother. "Why were be born? For what reason do we exist? Answer me, Rubedo. You

betrayed your comrades, you killed your brother. Why are you still alive?"

"To keep my promise," responded Jr.

"Your promise?"

"Yes. The reason I exist is to keep the promise I made," said Jr.

"You're still haunted by that woman's shadow. I pity you." Citrine collapsed and her scent faded away. She was dead.

"Citrine..." Said Jr. Suddenly an alarm went off and red lights started flashing.

"What could there alarm be?" Asked Ziggy.

"That bastard! He activated the emulators!" Exclaimed Jr.

"Wonderful news," I said sarcastically as we ran into the Zohar room. A man in a black suit with white pants and white shoes stood on the walkway leading to another room. The man also had blond hair but I couldn't see his face since his back was turned to us. So this must be Dimitri Yuriev. In this room were the twelve Zohar emulators, creating a semi-circle in this massive room. There were six to each side with one directly in front where the original Zohar was probably meant to be placed.

"You filthy bastard! Stop the emulators, now!" Shouted Jr. Dimitri turned around and looked at us with his emerald eyes.

"Is that you, Rubedo? It's been a long time, hasn't it? I must say, I've missed you," said Dimitri.

"Listen! We both know what'll happen if you even think about touching those! Give back Gaignun's body and get the hell out of here!" Shouted Jr.

"Oh, I am so disappointed in you, Rubedo. This circumstance is your fault, entirely. There's no one else to blame but yourself and I'm afraid…I've been forced to take matters into my own hands, since those incomplete units failed their mission fifteen years ago."

"My fault? Oh, yeah? Are you…planning on using the emulators, and Omega, to destroy U-DO?"

"No, no, it isn't that sort of thing. Nothing can ever destroy U-DO. I guess you really don't understand the reasons why I am here."

"All right then, fine! Why are you here?" Dimitri looked back at the Zohar emulators behind him.

"In ancient times, people used to be together with God. People loved God, revered and even feared God. Out of fear of the undying God, they sought divine power." Dimitri looked back at his son. "This was a way for the ancients to resist Him. Eventually, they found a method to become gods themselves. We have revived their relics: the Merkabah and the Zohar emulators, as well as Mizrahi's Y-Data, which holds the records left behind by the ancients. This holds the instructions, so that we may become gods once again. You see, U-DO is a god of this dimension. If, in fact, God cannot be destroyed, then we shall be the ones to become gods, ourselves."

"U-DO is a god?" I exclaimed in shock. Dimitri turned his gaze over to me.

"Is that really so surprising, Reuel? What else could an entity of such power be other than a god?" Suddenly Dimitri pulled out a pistol and shot a nearby console, destroying it. Then he aimed it at Jr and began to slowly move back towards the door further inside the room. "Farewell, my son. I must go now. Remember your great Father!" As the door opened Dimitri shot the console next to the door and walked through as the door closed. Jr and MOMO rushed over to the destroyed consoles and tried to access them.

"Dammit! MOMO, can we stop the emulators?" Exclaimed Jr.

"No, we can't! The controls are destroyed. There's no way to stop them!" Replied MOMO. Suddenly there was the sensation of the ship accelerating.

"What the hell was that?" I asked.

"The ship is moving!" Exclaimed Jin.

"The Durandal's beginning to turn. That means…it's heading for the Ark!" Cried MOMO.

"Dammit! Dad's going to ram the ship and the emulators right into the Ark!" Exclaimed Jr.

"Now what?" Asked Ziggy.

"We'll purge the dock and escape! It's gonna be rough, but we don't have any choice. Let's go!" Shouted Jr. We ran out of the Isolation area and ran to the dock as fast as we could. On board the bridge of the Elsa, Jr pressed the button on the remote control and there was an explosion where we had placed the explosives. Now that the Elsa was free, we were able to leave the Durandal and get away from the Ark. As we escaped from the Durandal, there was a bright light coming from the energy field of the Ark as the Durandal drew closer to it. As the light grew bright the Ark began to change shape. The energy field in the center disappeared and the cage section of the ark became terribly distorted. When the transformation was complete, the Ark now looked more like a ship, or maybe Surrounding the cage area was a ring which had two bony wings protruding from it. The far end of the Ark now looked like the face of a dragon with a horn and two whisker like thins sticking out on it's cheeks and going outward. The Ark started to emit red aura for thousands and thousands of kilometers.

* * *

KLAUSIAN ORBITAL SPACE STATION OGETSU

* * *

As the alarm went off, all the crew on the station were in a panic. Many started to run to the escape pods.

"What the hell is that light coming from the Ark?" Exclaimed Lancar.

"I don't know! But whatever it is, it has an energy reading that makes the Creation Cannon of a Federation super battle ship look like a pea shooter!" Exclaimed Marietta.

"You serious? That's even stronger than any attack from an Executioner!"

"What should we do?" Asked Steeg.

"We're getting the hell of this ship! Then we'll rendezvous with the Captain and the others!" Ordered Lancar.

"Roger, activating the evacuation alarm!" All the crew on the bridge looked at Lancar.

"Well what are we all waiting for, Christmas? Let' get the hell out of here!" Within a few minutes, escape pod after escape pod shot out of the Ogetsu and flew towards Radiant Garden. But you know what they say, out of the frying pan and into the fire.

As Dimitri's plans are set into motion, the Zohar awakens and brings the destruction ever closer. Will Alex and the others be able to stop Dimitri? Find out in the next chapter... :P Anyway, please review.


	15. Abel's Ark

Thanks goes to everyone who reviewed! Any... nah forget it you know what comes next. By the way, I am REALLY sorry this took so long to come out.

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Ocean, Kingdom Hearts, or Xenosaga.

* * *

Chapter 15: Abel's Ark

* * *

We starred in a mix of horror and shock at the new form Abel's Ark had taken. Not to mention the scent coming from the Ark was off the charts. I had no idea the Zohar contained THIS much power.

"What the hell is that?" Exclaimed Jr.

"I'm detecting an enormous gravity deviation from inside," said MOMO.

"It is not a Gnosis. It is caused by surplus energy leaking from Omega after absorbing the Zohar," explained KOS-MOS. I let out a whistle.

"It's an astounding amount of energy," stated Shion.

"With energy of this colossal magnitude, I guess his talk of joining the rank of gods may not have been a bluff," said Ziggy.

"Does he really intend on becoming a god?" Asked Jr.

"Apparently so," I said.

* * *

WILHELM'S OFFICE, THE DAMMERUNG

* * *

Kevin and Wilhelm stood in the office, looking out the window as if they were watching something that only they could see. Kevin had an emotionless look on his face, and Wilhelm had a calm expression on his. Finally Kevin broke the silence.

"Omega's awakening is confirmed," said Kevin.

"So it would seem," stated Wilhelm in his calm voice.

"For the shift to the higher dimension, Yuriev will likely attempt to absorb Zarathustra. This may cause some effect on the system..." Kevin stopped talking as Wilhelm looked away from the window and over at him.

"That is not the only function of Zarathustra. The measures I've taken are not recorded in the Y-Data. The information he obtained is incomplete. Let us watch over the proceedings." Wilhelm gracefully turned his gaze back towards the window. "He's a truly fascinating human being. In order to conquer his fear, he chooses to absorb that fear and become that fear

himself."

"Shall we send Albedo for the retrieval?"

"He wants to go, doesn't he? It's what he's always desired. It will also work out well for the awakening of the Vessels of Anima. It will take a little more time before she awakens. In the meantime, let's enjoy the entertainment," said Wilhelm.

* * *

ONBOARD THE PRODIGIUM

* * *

Margulis bowed down before the altar and called his leader. It was time to report... despite the fact that he had just acted without orders. Margulis expected that Heinlein was not going to be pleased, but with the Original Zohar before their eyes there was no way Margulis was going to just stand down and let it get taken by Yuriev. The hologram of the crystal began to glow with a radiant light.

"Margulis, what is it?" Asked Heinlein.

"Your Eminence, our fleet has already sunk 70 of the Federation fleet. All that remains is to await your order. Give us the order to attack the Ark," explained Margulis.

"Margulis, I don't even recall giving you an order to move the fleet," responded Heinlein.

"Why should we stand by and watch while the Original Zohar is right before our eyes? Dmitri Yuriev has already taken action. We can't just hand it over without any protest." Shouted Margulis angrily.

"Know your place, Margulis. Just follow my orders."

"But..." Started Margulis. But he was interrupted.

"That is all, Margulis! You are not permitted to touch the Ark. Pull back the fleet and leave Michtam!"

"Your Eminence..." Stated Margulis. The light faded from the hologram and it disappeared. Margulis let out a sigh and stood up. He began to walk down the corridor towards the exit, where Pellegri was.

"What does this mean? Is he saying to give up on the Zohar?" She asked. Margulis stopped walking and stood silently while looking down at the ground.

"I don't know. But don't you feel as if something has been out of place…ever since Rennes-le-Château appeared? It's as if we are no longer acting for our own objectives, but for some other will."

"Are you insinuating that His Eminence is betraying Ormus? Such insolence will not be forgiven. Even for you, Chief Inquisitor," warned Pellegri with a tone of anger.

"I am aware of that. But still..." Started Margulis.

* * *

THE ELSA

* * *

There were several minutes of silence as everyone looked at the Ark. How could things have gotten this bad? Finally, Captain Matthews spoke up.

"I know we have to do something, but just how are we supposed to get close to that thing?" Asked Captain Matthews.

"It doesn't look like there's any easy way in there, like an air lock or something," I said.

"We don't even know the enemy's location. What part do you want me to stick this ship in?" Complained Tony.

"How about you stop talking and use your heads a little?" Suggested Canaan. Suddenly a screen popped up. On it was a woman with short silver hair. She wore glasses over her eyes.

"Indeed. You've got all these people here, and yet none of them are useful," said the woman.

"Doctus? Why are you..." Started Shion.

"Who's that?" Asked Jr.

"She's an extremely skilled Scientia agent," explained Jin. This Doctus person looked over at Jin.

"Oh, is that you, Jin? You have the same enigmatic expression on your face you always do," replied Doctus.

"And I see you haven't changed, either. It's rather unusual for you to show your face here."

"I contacted her," explained Canaan.

"What? Why would you contact someone like her?" Demanded Jr with a tone of shock.

"My, are you sure you want to be that rude to me? You'll regret it later," responded Doctus.

"She has a plan that can solve our current dilemma. That's why I called her," explained Canaan. Jr looked back over at Doctus.

"What plan?"

"A way to get inside that thing," stated Doctus.

"Huh?"

"It's simple. You just need to gate out inside of it. That way you can infiltrate it and no one can stop you," explained Doctus.

"A short jump within the same signal? Can that be done at this short a range?" I didn't know much about gate jumps or the UMN, but the way Jr responded this must be something that is rather hard to pull off.

"If it's us, yes."

"Even if we do that, we don't know where Dad is."

"You should be able to tell where Gaignun is. Right? URTV." Jr let out a gasp of shock. "I gave my gift to that Realian. The rest is up to you. Don't disappoint me, now." With that, the screen turned off.

"MOMO, analyze this," he said.Canaan pulled out a disc from his pocket and handed it to MOMO. She inserted the disc into the terminal she was sitting at and booted up the disc.

"This is the gate out interference program that Scientia uses! With this, we can ignore the signal and dive out by force!" Stated MOMO.

"Well, isn't she clever? So we use this to get to Dad, huh?" Said Jr. He looked over at Hammer. "Okay. Hammer, replace the gate jump program. We don't have much time. Get it

ready now!" Jr looked around at all of us. "Everyone, take this time to get ready." I headed to the cabin and activated my connection gear. After punching in the communication code, Luther popped up on the screen.

"What is your status down there?" I asked.

"Surprisingly quiet. There has been some slight activity, but the town's defense mechanisms take care of it pretty quickly. You know, we have to thank whoever has been firing off those waves of blue energy. Not only has it made those creatures vulnerable, it's given us a chance to study the effect and emulate it... of course it's not perfect yet," explained Luther.

"I'll be the best damn thing you've ever seen in a matter of hours!" Shouted Cid in the background. Luther looked over in Cid's direction and then back at me with a smirk.

"He's been jabbering on and on about how this technology and whatever else we can salvage can bring about a new age of prosperity or something like that."

"Just make sure he doesn't try to create a Zohar emulator. We've got enough problems to worry about, the last thing we need is all of Radiant Garden to be wiped off the map by a freak accident," I responded.

"I ain't got a clue as to what you are talkin' about, but I sure don't want to play with something that sounds that dangerous!" Commented Cid again.

"So what's been going on up there, Alex? First the Ark starts emitting unusually high energy readings, and then the Ogetsu get's obliterated and..." Started Luther.

"The Ogetsu was obliterated? Are you serious?" I exclaimed.

"Afraid so, fortunately all the life pods landed on Radiant Garden," said Maria as she suddenly popped up in front of Luther.

"Gha! Where did you come from? You weren't there 5 seconds ago!" Stated Luther.

"Hey Alex!" Exclaimed Sora as he popped up in front of both Luther and Maria. In one of his hands was a half empty bottle of root beer and a hot dog in the other.

"Sora...? What are you doing?" I asked.

"Things are pretty quiet at the moment on our side, A-Hyuck!" Said Goofy as he walked onto the screen with a root beer in his hand.

"So we decided to get some food and wait till the next attack!" Said Kairi as she popped up onto the screen as well.

"It's kind of boring right now," commented Riku in a serious tone. Luther shoved everyone aside and cleared his throat.

"Sorry about that. So how are things going top-side?" Asked Luther.

"Oh, nothing short of a total disaster. The Durandal got destroyed, the majority of it's crew killed. That lunatic got his hands on the Original Zohar, the Ark has taken a new shape, things are just getting better and better."

"Oh come on, lighten up!" Said a familiar voice. I made a grimace as I recognized the voice. The little fairy versions of Yuna, Rikku, and Paine popped up onto the screen. "As bad as things are, they can always get worse!" Chirped Rikku happily.

"That isn't very encouraging, you know..." Said Luther.

"Hey, turn that frown upside-down! The YRP squad is here to save the day! Our meal ticket may rest assured that we've got his back!" Said Yuna.

"Meal ticket? Are you referring to me?" I asked. The three of them nodded.

"Everyone here said that you would pay us in lots and lots of treasure, at least 3 tons of it," said Paine.

"What? 3 tons? Who said this?" I exclaimed.

"We figured we would have you pick up the tab since you were so kind to not let us know what was going on," said Kairi with an evil grin.

"Serves ya right!" Shouted Donald.

"Sorry, Alex. That's the way the ball rolls," said Luther with a simple shrug. I gave Luther a look which said something on the lines of: 'Et tu Brute?'. "Well, take care of things top side!" With that the screen deactivated and I let out a sigh.

"3 tons of treasure? Do we even HAVE that?" Exclaimed Larz. I shook my head.

"No, we don't."

"What are we doing to do when they come to collect?"

"I have no..." Suddenly there was a blinding flash of light. Next thing I know, I was back on the dark beach. It is peaceful and soothing as always, I never got sick of being here... even though I spent a year in isolation here once. Suddenly the never moving silver sun in the distance began to go down... now this is something that never happened. As it touched the horizon, a white mist shot out from it and towards the beach. The giant onyx coral structures began to collapse and fade into dust scattered by the wind. The mist came at an ever closer rate, covering everything. In less than a minute, the entire region was no longer the peaceful dark place it once was. It was now a white, beach of nothingness.

"_No place is safe from the inevitable dissipation. Should things stay as they are now,_" echoed Terra's voice.

"_But that doesn't mean that this is _inevitable," said a familiar voice. I looked to my right to see the woman from all the visions standing there next to me. Only this time I could see her in full color. She had long dark brown hair, about the length of KOS-MOS' hair. She also had dark skin, like the tone of skin chaos had, and deep sapphire blue eyes. She was wearing a blue robe and sandals. A white cloth was wrapped around her shoulders and the front of her chest and looked like it was attached to the robe she was wearing. She looked out at the ocean as her hair blew to the left in the wind.

"This dissipation... it can be stopped?" I asked. She shook her head and looked at me.

"_No, Reuel. It cannot be stopped. But it can be delayed, delayed until we can find a better way. A way to finally stop it,"_ she said with an emotionless expression on her face.

"I'll find a way to stop it! If I stop the Tri-Unification... then at least I can save two of the Universes from this threat!" I exclaimed with a tone of determination. She smiled warmly.

"_Yes that would help."_ Suddenly everything faded into a bright light and we now stood on a vast grass field. Everything was colored properly here, it wasn't like that nothingness from a few minutes ago. The woman began to walk away, she started to fade as she did so. She looked back at me and her warm smile appeared on her visage once again. _"See you soon, okay?"_ With that she faded away completely.

"Wait!" I cried in vain. But it was no use. I looked around as the wind blew south, I then took a step forward and began walking in the direction the woman went.

* * *

BACK ON THE DURANDAL

* * *

Jin and Jr found Alex on the ground of the Cabin. He looked as if he had passed out, but the scans they did on him proved otherwise. Alex was moved into a spare room in the basement, where the group tried to find out what had happened.

"You found him like this?" Asked Shion as she looked over at her brother.

"Yes, he was lying there with his connection gear in his hand. But as you saw, it seems like this is more than merely loosing consciousness," said Jin.

"It's almost like he's in a coma," commented Allen.

"Do you know if he will wake up soon?" Asked Ziggy.

"It's hard to say, he could wake up any moment now. Or he could remain this way for days, weeks, months, maybe even years," explained Jin. There was a moment of silence as the group thought silently to themselves.

"We can't wait for him, we have to get moving," said Shion, breaking the silence.

"Right, we have to stop my father!" Said Jr. He looked over at Alex again. "Sorry man, we can't do anything at the moment. The mission takes priority, I hope you understand that." Jr looked at Juli, Shelley, and Canaan. "I need you guys to watch over him. If he wakes up while we are away, tell him to head to our location ASAP."

"Understood," said Canaan.

"Be careful," said Shelley. Shion and the others all got ready and headed up to the bridge. The gate jump program was replaced and they were now ready to go. Tony began the assault by speeding towards the Ark while skillfully dodging the projectile attacks the Gnosis were firing like crazy.

"Transfer column signal confirmed! Initiating jump now!" Said MOMO. As the Elsa neared the Ark a gate opened and it burst through the light. The Elsa reappeared inside of the Ark. The interior of the Ark was quite unusual. Everything was covered in an orange tint and there was strange energy flowing all over the place. To top it off there were strange flat rock formations floating around... in fact there was a giant formation of them that were dangerously close to the Elsa.

"Aaah! We're gonna hit it! What do we do?" Cried Hammer.

"Get a hold of yourself! Charge right through!" Shouted Captain Matthews. Tony shot through a small gap in the formation and landed on a stationary platform.

"We've found a safe place to land, Captain," said Tony.

"Good work, the rest is up to you Little Master," said Captain Matthews.

"Don't worry, we'll stop that bastard," said Jr.

"I'll let Professor know to get the ES's ready for launch," said Hammer as he started typing something on his terminal.

"Tell him to keep Omega Universitas on standby only." Captain Matthews, Tony, and Hammer all looked at their employer with a look of shock.

"What? Isn't Alex going with you?" Asked Tony.

"Come to think of it, where is Alex anyway?" Asked Captain Matthews.

"Alex is temporarily disabled," explained KOS-MOS.

"He somehow fell in a coma," said Jr. "But if he wakes up while we are out, send him off to our location if we are still gone. Now that we have one of the Omega's, there is no reason to not use it."

"Roger, good luck at there," said Captain Matthews. The group headed down to the hangar and left in their ES's, and the search for Yuriev began.

* * *

I walked for a little while and then I started jogging as I began to see how much distance there was to cover. This field went on and on for a surprisingly long way. But as I stopped jogging and took a few more steps there was a blinding flash of light and I was now standing at the entrance to a small village. The weather was sunny and not a cloud in the sky. It was actually really hot and kind of humid. The people had dark tanned skin as if they spent a lot of time in this sun. The people were wearing robes that mostly consisted of white and the front was one other color ranging from red, blue, green, and other colors. Everyone was wearing sandals as well. Somehow my clothes had changed into a robe similar to what everyone else was wearing.

"Are you alright, Reuel?" Asked a familiar voice. I shot around to see chaos standing there. He wore the same white robe with a green front.

"Y-yea. I'm fine," I responded.

"Let's go, we don't want to keep them waiting," said chaos. I followed chaos through the village towards a small building that was a little further away from the village. As chaos opened the door two familiar faces inside looked over at us. First was the woman from my visions, and then... Shion? I couldn't help but stare in shock, what was Shion doing here? But there was something different about this Shion, she was younger, I'd say at least 5 or 6 years younger.

"You two are late again," said the woman with a warm smile.

"Sorry, we lost track of time," said chaos. What is going on here? Is this an image of the past? When did this happen? Why am I in this picture anyway? What the three of them were saying slowly faded as I got lost in my thoughts. I finally snapped out of my thoughts when Shion waved her hand in front of my face.

"Reuel? Anybody awake in there?" She asked.

"W-what?" I asked in a stunned tone.

"You spaced out for a moment, are you feeling okay?" Asked the woman. She walked towards me and placed her hand on my forehead, checking for a fever.

"Yeah, I feel fine." The woman removed her hand from my head and looked over at chaos.

"Shall we go?" She asked.

"Right." chaos looked over at Shion and I. "Come on, you two, let's go." Suddenly there was a bright flash of light. When I opened my eyes again I was back on the Elsa. Somehow I had been moved into a spare room down in the basement. I looked over to see Canaan, Shelley, and Juli all sitting nearby. I sat up and scratched my head.

"Glad you decided to join us again," commented Canaan.

"What? What happened?" I asked.

"Little Master and Jin found you in the cabin unconscious," explained Shelley.

"How are you feeling?" Asked Juli.

"I'm okay. What's the current situation?" I asked.

"Rubedo and the others have mobilized and are currently seeking out Yuriev and the Zohar. If you are done sleeping, I suggest you get moving if you want to catch up to them," stated Canaan.

"Right, I'm going now." I stood up and began to leave the room.

"Be sure not to push yourself too hard. You were just in a coma after all," said Shelley. I nodded.

"Don't worry, I'll be careful." With that I left the room and headed to the hangar. Omega Universitas was already configured and ready for launch. I got on board and opened a channel to speak with the bridge. "This is Alex Rothrock, requesting clearance to leave."

"Request granted. Welcome back to the world of the living, kid. Now go help Little Master and the others," said Captain Matthews.

"Ten four." The airlock opened and I shot out into what looked like the interior of the Ark. I continued onward using strange diamond shapped transports that took me to other areas as I tracked the scents of Shion and the others. Eventually I came across something unexpected. I saw the Durandal... but it had been sliced in half from the impact and it was falling apart. The grand battleship would never fly again. I couldn't help but feel sad at this sight. I had a handful of memories on board that ship. After letting out a sigh, I tightened my grasp on the controls and moved onward. As I moved on I came upon another unsettling sight. The Ogetsu was in here too, I guess the Ark absorbed the station as well. The Ogetsu was nowhere near as badly damaged as the Durandal was, however the Ark had become it's resting place nonetheless. I just hope that the crew was able to evacuate in time. I kept going until I came to an area that looked like the center of the Ark. There were four enormous spheres circling around a larger sphere in the middle embedded into a pillar. The middle was glowing with energy, it must be worth checking out. I approached the middle sphere and all of a sudden I was transported.

I appeared in a new area and I was no longer in my AMWS. Somehow I was standing in space, only the entire area was surrounded by light red fog. In front of me were two large, organic looking pillars that floated in the air. Omega Res Novae floated idly as it pulsed with energy. The energy coming off of that thing was beyond comprehension. Shion and the others were all here as well, and Dmitri Yuriev was kneeling on the ground while emitting this strange red aura. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked over at me.

"Good timing... you show up after we do all the work," said Jr.

"_Why do we even bother to go anywhere when these guys can take care of it just fine?"_ Asked Larz inside my head.

"Yeah sorry, I was delayed." Jr looked back over at his father.

"It ends here, Dad. This power is not something a human being can control," he said.

"My hopeless son, do you really think this is the extent of my powers?" Questioned Dmitri.

"It doesn't matter what you say now. You've lost!" Dmitri chuckled in a low voice but that quickly transitioned into a louder and more clear laugh.

"Such a foolish child, Rubedo. I told you, the fear I suffered was far greater than this." Jr let out a sigh of frustration.

"Like hell. Don't you understand? You, who feared U-DO, will never be able to surpass him!" Dmitri shot his gaze towards his son.

"You are the one who doesn't understand, Rubedo." He began to get up from the ground. Suddenly a burst of energy emitted from Omega Res Novae, pushing us all back. Dmitri began to rise up from the ground and towards Omega as it emitted more and more red aura. Soon the entire room we were in began pulsing with red energy. Dmitri Yuriev continued his rise up towards Omega. "Fear drives evolution. Human being have used their intelligence to conquer their fears and to obtain power." He finally made contact with Omega and he began to sink into Omega. "Oh yes, and this is that power that I speak of! I will teach you…the

same fear that Albedo and I received!" Omega changed shape once again, making it more organic looking and much more like a living creature.

"TRANSFER ES!" Shouted Jr. All our craft were transported here and we got into them and got ready to fight this monstrosity.

"_Ok, so it seems like there were still some party bags left for us,"_ said Larz.

"This isn't a party bag, Larz. This is the entire god damn cake," I responded as I sensed the spiking levels of energy coming from Omega. Every single craft in the area shot up into the air and the battle began. Omega continually shot out powerful attacks and we did what we could to keep up with the attacks. I dodged one of it's energy projectiles as Jr and Jin moved in to attack Omega while KOS-MOS provided support from a distance by firing of shots from her rifle. Omega blew through Jr and Jin's offensive and charged towards KOS-MOS and I. I dodged it's attack once again but then something began to happen. All the screens inside my craft began to glow red and an alarm went off. The inside of the cockpit began to change slightly. New controls started shooting up and energy straps began to appear around my body. I was pulled back against the cockpit wall as a visor covered my face. On the screen was what was going on outside of Omega Universitas along with a bunch of diagrams with various numbers.

"ID MODE... ACTIVATED..." Said the computer.

"Alex, what just happened to your craft? It's changed!" Exclaimed Shion over the COM channel.

"It just said some sort of mode was activated... don't worry I'm fine. Keep up the good fight," I said. The battle continued, but I noticed something different about my craft. It was now moving a lot faster, I had more attacks at my disposal, and everything seemed like it was moving in semi-slow motion. Despite this new ability I discovered that my AMWS has, it and the power of the ES's was only enough to make Omega stumble and fall down after awhile. We got out of our ES's afterwards. Dmitri stuck his head out of Omega's front head... thing, as well as some of his upper torso.

"Amusing. But I'm afraid you're just wasting your time. This power is infinite. As long as I have the Zohar and Abel, my power will never fade!" Exclaimed Dmitri.

"Stop it! U-DO will awaken! Once that happens, there'll be no going back!" Shouted Jr.

"That face. The expression of fear." Dmitri started to laugh. "Interesting! That's how you looked when you betrayed your own comrades! Your fear will soon become a new source of power for me!"

"Dammit..." Exclaimed Jr.

"What do we do, Jr.? There's no end to this," said Ziggy.

"There is a mere .000000001 chance of winning this battle under the current situation," said KOS-MOS.

"Don't say that, that's really depressing to hear," I whined.

"But I'm afraid she's right, Reuel. What chance do any of you have of defeating me?" Asked Dmitri.

"Even if that's the case, even if our chances are small. That doesn't mean we're going to give up." I summoned Larz. "I've got a damned long to-do list, and cashing in here at the hands of a power hungry psychopath isn't one of them!" I jumped into the air and tried to land an attack on Dmitri, only to be thrown back down to the ground by a burst of energy. Dmitri began to laugh again.

"Did you really think you could do anything against this power? Bow down before your new God!"

"You're in way over your head. That power…is not yours," said a sudden voice. We looked up to see the White Testament float down and land on the shoulder of Omega. "You're simply being seduced by that power, just like I once was." The Testament began to walk closer to Dmitri. "Eternal time." The Testament removed his mask and revealed his spiky white hair and purple eyes. Despite the variance in color, this guy looked a lot like Gaignun. "The infinite cycle of rebirth. Amidst, that flow, human existence is meaningless." Jr let out a gasp of shock and took several steps forward.

"Albedo! Just as I thought. I knew it was you! Albedo!" Exclaimed Jr.

"Yo, Rubedo! I'm so happy to be able to see you again. It's rather amazing. I feel like thanking the laws of this universe." Albedo, Jr's twin brother. I had heard about him multiple times from Jr when he told me about their previous ordeals.

"Albedo. Why is he... Why is he here?" I heard Shion mutter.

"Albedo, but you… I thought that you..." Started Jr.

"I came to warn you, my hopeless but most beloved other half. But first, we need to do something about these." Albedo aimed his hand at Omega and all of a sudden, Abel and the Zohar were extracted from it and they vanished. Omega collapsed to the ground and Dmitri fell out of Omega and landed on the ground face first. He slowly got up but was kneeling. "Hey, what are you doing there Mr. Goody Two-Shoes?" Asked Albedo.

"So, you're still alive you worthless failure. Why do you interfere now?" Grunted Dmitri.

"Shut up. I don't have any business with you. I'm talking to the bastard who's hiding in the shadows." Albedo transported down from where he was to the ground not to far away from Dmitri. "You want to please our dear old Dad that much? You've always been that way."

"You're wasting your time. He can't hear you!" Exclaimed Dmitri.

"Really? He sure seems to be hearing me." Dmitri let out a gasp of pain and clutched his head.

"Wha... what?" He stammered. Suddenly, a semi-invisible apparition of Gaignun came out of Dmitri and stood there holding a hand to his heart like he had been injured. Dmitri continued to grasp his head in pain. Gaignun took several steps towards Jr.

"J...Jr..." He stated.

"Gaignun!" Exclaimed Jr as he ran closer to him.

"Kill me. Hurry. Right now, while I have my will, it's possible! Hurry!" Jr shook his head.

"How can you say that? I could never..." Started Jr.

"My, my, you're still a softy. You won't save anyone like that. It's what he wants. Hurry up and do it. You have the power!" Said Albedo.

"I can't!" Exclaimed Jr as he took a step back.

"Sure you can. You killed me. It's the same thing. It should be easy for you," said Albedo with a sneer.

"No, I..." Started Jr.

"Then, want me to do it? It'd be easy with the power I have now."

"Stop!"

"Good, that's it. Now, release your power!"

"Jr. It's all right. Albedo's right. If you don't do it now, it'll be too late. You're the oldest. I'm sorry I keep forcing everything on you." Said Gaignun. With that, Gaignun disappeared back into Dmitri's body.

"Nigredo!" Called out Jr.

"Yes, yes, it's all very touching. Now hurry up and form the link!" Stated Albedo with a look of amusement on his face.

"The link?" Albedo looked at Dmitri.

"Nigredo, I hate the idea of having to link with you, but it's for Rubedo. Now, join up!"

"What are you doing, Albedo?"

"Get a hold of yourself. You're the leader, remember? He's contaminated by U-DO. Did you forget? We have the power to neutralize him."

"But if we do that, we'll..."

"Don't underestimate my power. I'll send him into another dimension." Albedo got slightly closer to Dmitri. "Sorry, Nigredo. I'm going to use your body. Once we start the link, go

inside Rubedo before you lose your body. I'll take care of the rest."

"Albedo, are you planning to leave me again?" Demanded Jr with a tone of sadness.

"Oh, stop crying. Like I said before, I hate both of you. There's no time. Begin!" Jr got closer to the two of them.

"I'm gonna form the link! Nigredo! Albedo!" Jr held out his hands and so did Albedo. A small ring of blue energy formed around Dmitri. He placed his right hand on the ring and all of a sudden he started moving around like he was having a seizure. "Good! Keep suppressing U-DO's waves!"

"Yes. Now, go, Nigredo! If you stay here, I'll blast him away from you!" Said Albedo. Suddenly something apparently went wrong. Albedo suddenly made a jerking motion like he had been hit by something. "What are you doing, Nigredo? I demand that you get out of my body!"

"Stop hiding your feelings, Albedo. Why did you come back here?" Echoed Gaignun's voice. "Sorry, but I don't like to follow orders. Go back to Rubedo!"

"Stop it, Nigredo!" Suddenly a burst of energy came from Albedo and went clockwise towards Jr. Upon impact, Jr was thrown back at least ten feet. He got up and rushed over to Gaignun (who was now in Albedo's body) and tried to place his hand on the ring, but Gaignun stopped him by grabbing his hand and shoved it away from the ring. In a matter of seconds, both Gaignun and Dmitri Yuriev were vaporized and faded away in a cloud of energy. Their scents faded away as well which meant only one thing. Jr sat there kneeling on the ground. At first it seemed like he was talking to himself, but in reality he was most likely talking to Albedo inside his head. Eventually he stood up and looked back at us.

"Jr?" Asked MOMO.

"Once again, Albedo and I are one whole. Just like we were when we were born," said Jr. We left that area and headed back to the Elsa. The news of Gaignun's passing made everyone on board sad. Though Mary and Shelley already seemed to know about it somehow. Gaignun must have said something to them telepathically before he passed on. I felt sad about his passing as well. I had only spoken to him a few times before, but he was still a friend of mine.

* * *

THE DAMMERUNG

UNKNOWN SECTOR

* * *

Wilhelm and Kevin stood on their craft as a glowing green sphere of energy appeared next to Wilhelm.

"Now his wish has come true. The awakening of the remaining Vessels will come soon," stated Wilhelm.

"Yes. We Testaments exist for that purpose," said Kevin.

"Then let us, too, step out onto the stage. It's time to go, Joshua." Wilhelm's craft, Joshua, became active and shot up through a pillar of light along with Kevin's ES. Consequently the Joshua was the power generator for the Dammerung, and as a result of this the lights of the ship went out. This sent the entire ship into panic as staff began switching to emergency reserves and scratched their heads wondering what in the hell just happened.

* * *

THE ELSA

BRIDGE

* * *

As Captain Matthews, Hammer, and Tony got everything set up to exit the Ark, I opened a channel to speak to Luther. I put him on the audio channel so everyone could hear how things were developing.

"Hey Luther, what's your status down there?" I asked.

"Radiant Garden has nearly been reduced to rubble by those bastards! The casualty list is growing larger, and now the sky is completely red and one of the planets out there is beginning to glow. Would you kindly tell me what the hell is going on up there? Whatever has been happening on your side it's driving the Gnosis crazy. They are attacking fiercely in larger numbers than ever before. We got some back up from the Ethereal Queen and Lenneth, but even they aren't going to make much difference! Please tell me you are close to wrapping things up!"

"Dmitri Yuriev has been destroyed and his ambitions halted. I'm going to head to Michtam now and put an end to this once and for all." There was a loud explosion sound on the other end.

"God dammit! THERE'S A BREACH IN THE WALL!!! SOMEONE PLANT SOME PROXIMITY MINES OR SOMETHING!!!" Luther turned his attention back to me. "Now hurry and get over there! Destroy Zarathustra and ARMAGEDDON before we get completely overwhelmed by the enemy." The transmission ended and we gated out of the Ark. We all starred in shock at the battlefield. All that was left was Ormus ships and countless amounts of Gnosis. The entire region of space was now an ominous red color. Michtam was now glowing with purple energy as well.

"Michtham's shining," said Shion.

"Yuriev said something is sleeping on Michtam," said Ziggy.

"Do you think it's related to the disappearance of the Zohar?" Asked Jr. I got up and began to walk towards the door. "Hey Alex, where are you going?"

"I'm going to get Omega Universitas ready for launch. We're running out of time and I've got to deal with the mess that I made."

"You can't seriously be thinking of going all by yourself!" Exclaimed Jin.

"Alex, rushing forward alone in this situation is highly illogical and extremely dangerous," said KOS-MOS.

"Hell if I care, everyone fighting planet-side can't keep up against the constant Gnosis attacks. I'm going!" I was about to leave when all of a sudden I felt someone grab my wrist in a tight grasp. I looked back to see KOS-MOS standing there holding my wrist in a strong grip. "Let me go! I have to get down there!"

"I am terribly sorry, Alex. But I will not allow you to go down there."

"Don't you understand? If I don't complete my mission soon, everyone on Radiant Garden will be as good as..." I was cut off as I looked at KOS-MOS face again. Her eyes had turned back to that sapphire blue color. She had a sad look on her face.

"I am aware of the situation you are in. I am also aware that you are in pain. But pushing away your friends would be a fatal mistake. Do you really want to do that?" She asked me. I thought for a moment.

"_We're not alone in this Alex. We don't have to take everything on by ourselves,"_ said Larz.

"_Yeah, you're right. I had always thought it was my responsibility to set things right. But... maybe the real answer is to take care of your problems with the help of your friends."_ I walked back into the bridge and KOS-MOS finally let go of my arm. Her eyes went back to normal as well. "Alright, so how soon till we can head down there?" I asked.

"Captain, it's Ormus mobile weapons. They're headed this way!" Exclaimed MOMO.

"What?" Exclaimed Captain Matthews.

"Ormus mobile fleet confirmed! They're surrounding us at a distance of 20,000 kilometers!"

"Damn! Tony! Take us down to Michtam!" Tony looked at his Captain as if had just told him to steer the Elsa into a black hole.

"What? Are you serious?" Said Tony.

"It's better than staying here! Hurry!" Exclaimed Captain Matthews.

"You're all crazy. Hey, don't blame me if something goes wrong!" The Elsa began to fly towards Michtam, as we got closer we got hit by an Ormus battle cruiser... not a missile from a battle cruiser but the hull of a battle cruiser itself. I held onto the rail as we swerved around and then finally got back on course towards the planet's surface.

* * *

What awaits our heroes on Michtam? Where did Abel and the Zohar go? Find out in the next chapter. Hopefully the next chapter wont' take so long to come out. Once again I am really sorry this took so long to come out. 


	16. The Beginning of the End

Thanks goes to all who reviewed! And here comes... that's right, you got it!

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Ocean, Kingdom Hearts, or Xenosaga.

* * *

Chapter 16: The Beginning of the End

"TAKE COVER!!" Shouted Luther at the top of his lungs. A second later there was a massive explosion. Luther, Maria, Leon, and Sora were showered in pebbles and dust from the explosion. They stopped shielding their faces and looked up from the fallen pillar they were hiding behind. There were small fires here and there and a large crater was now where several Gnosis had just been. Maria let out a whistle.

"What just happened?" Asked Sora.

"That thing just stepped on a proximity mine," explained Luther.

"Take it easy with those things. The castle and the town have nearly been reduced to ruins as it is," said Leon.

"It can't be helped, Leon. This city was the inevitable location of this battle," said Maria as she popped up and shot a Gnosis. To the far left, Donald, Goofy, King Mickey, and Cliff were fighting multiple Gnosis.

"They just keep coming!" Exclaimed Donald.

"I don't know how much longer we can hold this position!" Said Cliff.

"We need to stay here as long as possible!" Said King Mickey as he killed another Gnosis.

* * *

ONBOARD THE ELSA

* * *

"Hey, everyone alive?" Asked Captain Matthews. The Elsa had landed on Michtam even after we had been hit by an Ormus ship. Outside of the ship was what appeared to be a ruined city. The sky was green and there was no sign of life on this ruined world.

"Yeah, what's left of us," said Tony.

"Can you tell where we are?" Asked Ziggy.

"Let me connect to the database here. It may still be alive," said Juli as she looked over Shelley's shoulder. Shelley accessed the database. "We're twelve kilometers from a city. There should be a spaceport nearby."

"Can you detect the Zohar?" Asked Shion.

"There's no sign of it. But there's high-density Gnosis activity in the center of the city," stated MOMO.

"Gnosis, hmm. Could the source of this planet's anomaly be located there?" Pondered Jin.

"Probably. Before Albedo went to sleep, he told me that the Zohar and Abel were transferred to Michtam by someone's will. So he told me to go there," said Jr. He looked over at Captain Matthews. "Captain, sorry, but the Elsa better wait here. Don't wait for us if anything happens. Follow Juli's instructions."

"Are you sure, Little Master?" Asked Captain Matthews.

"You'll all have to look out for yourselves. We won't have any leeway." Jr then looked at the rest of us. "The rest of us will leave the port in E.S.s and head for the city. Ormus is here, too, so don't let your guard down."

"What? I'm going too?" Exclaimed Allen.

"You got something to do here? We don't know what we're going to run into. And Shion isn't looking good, so give her the support she needs." Jr turned his attention to Canaan who held his hand on top of his head. "Canaan, you'll support Jin." Canaan didn't say anything. "Hey, Canaan! What's wrong?" Canaan snapped out of whatever he was thinking of and looked at Jr.

"Hmm? Ah, it's nothing. Understood," responded Canaan. We started leaving the bridge, but I stopped and looked around for a moment.

"_What's wrong, Alex?"_ Asked Larz.

"_It's this feeling I'm getting. I feel like I'm never going to see this place again... or anyone here,_" I said gravely.

"_Hey, hey! Don't think like that! We're going to kick ass and then we will go home, easy!" _

"_I hope you are right."_ Last time I got this feeling, I ended up losing my body and having my life changed completely. Is that going to happen again? I hope not, I like what I do now.

I followed Shion and the others to the hangar. There we started getting ready. I was on one of the upper platforms configuring Omega Universitas with some minor upgrades when KOS-MOS walked by.

"Oh! KOS-MOS!" She stopped and looked over at me. I jumped out of Omega Universitas and approached her. "How are things going with the Dinah?"

"Preparations on the ES Dinah are nearly complete. Shion and I shall be ready for battle shortly," said KOS-MOS.

"That's what we like to hear." I paused for a moment. "Hey, can I ask you a question?"

"Of course, I shall answer to the best of my abilities."

"Why did you stop me from going earlier? You almost never interfere with the actions of anyone around here, so why?"

"Stopping you from doing anything overly reckless is registered as a priority." I smirked and chuckled.

"So Shion programmed you to keep me from doing anything crazy," I concluded.

"No, Shion did not program me with that priority. No one ever added that in." Now that was surprising. If nobody programmed that into her, why was that there?

"What? Then where is that command coming from?"

"I do not know. It would appear to be a command that comes from something beyond my core module."

"Does that mean it's beyond your control?" I asked.

"That is correct. If the command is issued it immediately gains high priority. In fact, it almost reaches the level of priority that Shion has which is the highest." Nearly at Shion's Level? But that doesn't make any sense. I didn't help create KOS-MOS, and I'm not with Vector. So why is she looking out for me?

We all finished getting everything ready and we got on board our craft. From there we exited though the large air lock and into the ruined city.

"So, this is Michtam," said Jr.

"It is a land of atonement for mankind. This entire world is like a tombstone," stated Jin. Ziggy let out a grunt.

"What is it, old man? Getting scared?" Asked Jr.

"No, it's nothing. There's a lot of noise. The sensors don't seem to be working well," said Ziggy.

"What's with you guys? You and Canaan are both acting weird. Get a grip, okay?"

"Sorry, I'm fine."

"I've got a bad feeling about this," I said.

"I'm just gonna hope you are paranoid, Alex," said Jr. We proceeded onward into the ruined city. Not too far into our little exploration, we found the remains of the Ormus Battleship that had hit us, looks like it didn't take it's crash landing all that well. Suddenly a burst of lasers came down and hit the ruined ship. Two familiar looking mobile weapons descended downwards towards us. It was the two guys who had escorted me to the Ormus ship when I first got to this Universe.

"Now, now, you can't go barging into other people's homes uninvited!" Said one of the pilots.

"That voice! You bastards are still alive?" Asked Jr. Apparently Jr and the others had fought these guys before at some point. That must have happened shortly before I first came to this Universe last year.

"Of course. Our role is to deliver punishment to you heretics."

"So, you still haven't gotten tired of getting your butts kicked, huh?" Countered Jr.

"My, you certainly talk big for trespassers. Be grateful that the punishment of your heresy will take place here in the Ormus Holy Land. It's above and beyond the honor that should be bestowed on someone like you. Are you so moved that you're trembling?"

"Enough with the speeches already. Let's fight!"

"Oh, don't worry, we will. For your sentence is death!" The two mobile weapons shot towards us and the battle ensued. First the smaller one was taken out. The second one fell only a minute or so later. As they exploded a green sphere came out of both craft... those things had Vessels of Anima as well? Suddenly a black ES that looked more like a giant, black, circular beetle appeared and took the two Vessels of Anima. Then it turned in the direction of a large tower and flew towards it.

"A black E.S.? That appeared before," said Shion.

"Is it a Testament?" Asked Ziggy.

"No doubt about it, that craft had the scent of a Testament coming from it. Judging by how foul it smelt, I imagine it's your old acquaintance," I said.

"Voyager..." Muttered Ziggy.

"It looks like he's taunting us to follow him," said Jin. We went in the direction that Voyager's ES had gone. Eventually we came to another street with a building on the left that stood on a platform. We looked around at the area here. "It's been heavily damaged, but I don't think it was caused by combat."

"It doesn't seem to be caused by an atmospheric reactor accident or anything like that. It looks more like a natural disaster," commented chaos. The ES Zebulum moved closer to the building.

"That symbol!" Exclaimed Ziggy over the COM channel.

"What is it, old man?" Asked Jr.

"I've been here before. It was in the distant past when I was still human."

"What?"

"It was here that I faced off against Voyager. Back when this place was still called Abraxas."

"That Testament was on this planet, too?"

"_This planet has a lot of dark history, and I thought it was just a dead planet at first," _I said in my thoughts.

"Yes. Voyager was born here, and it was here that he transformed and cased to be human," continued Ziggy. We kept on going until we came upon a rather disturbing sight. Nearby the spaceport was a bunch of people... only they had been turned to pillars of salt by the Gnosis. After doing an analysis on them, it would appear that they had been where the are for quite some time now.

"Hey, wait a minute. This is..." Started Jr. Nobody needed to say anything to understand what had happened here. But Jin spoke anyway.

"Gnosis..."

"This is horrible..." Said MOMO.

"That doesn't even begin to describe this," I said. This horrifying sight was a sample of what was happening back on Radiant Garden. The only thing I could do was just cross my fingers and hope everyone is doing okay down there.

"Looks like a large number of people failed to escape and were left behind," stated Canaan.

"But the platform was right there." Said MOMO.

"So close, yet so far," I said.

"I wonder how many spaceships managed to take off from here," pondered Jin. ES Dinah began to move towards the next area that was up ahead.

"Shion!" Exclaimed MOMO.

"Chief! Where are you going?" Exclaimed Allen.

"There's something over here," explained Shion. We followed her out of curiosity and she lead us to what looked like the loading zone for escape pods... but it looks as if only one had ever been used. Who could that one person have been? "What is this?"

"It looks like an emergency platform. Is there something here?" Asked Allen. For a brief moment I swore that I could see two ghostly figures walking towards the platform. One was a woman, the other was a little boy whom the women had her arms around in a reassuring manner. As they neared where an escape pod should be, the phantoms faded.

"I don't know. It's sadness? Fear? I just feel something here," said Shion.

"Chief…" There were several seconds of silence on the COM channel. Suddenly, a heat signature registered on the radar, both an ES craft and an attack from that ES craft. Everyone noticed the incoming attack and we all moved our craft away from the attack. The enemy ES, that looked a lot like a typical Ormus Mobile weapon... only pink, lowered downwards towards us but remained fairly high up in the air.

"I never thought we'd meet in this place. I must remember to thank God, Jin Uzuki," said a familiar voice... Pellegri.

"Pellegri? I have nothing further to say to you. We must stop the disaster that's happening on this planet. Neither Ormus nor the Federation matter at this point. We have no reason to fight you," said Jin.

"No reason to fight? Do you know what this place is?"

"This place?"

"You set foot on this land without knowing anything about it? This land is the birthplace of Ormus."

"The birthplace of Ormus?"

"Yes. Those born in this land were called the People of Zohar. The Zohar Project, which your Federation pursued so vehemently, was originally brought into the world by us."

"So that is the heritage you care so much about?"

"The People of Zohar arrived to this planet after their long, wandering journey. We were the people who protected the Zohar and the relics of God for generations. But the Federation usurpers realized the potential of the Zohar and invaded this planet, killing its people, in order to obtain the Zohar. And the result is this. The current state of this planet is the manifestation of your Federation's ego and desires. We swore revenge and vowed to restore this land so we may return to our fatherland. It is destiny of my people who've lived on with the Zohar. It is the word of our God," said Pellegri in the form of a passionate speech.

"So that is the truth behind Miltia? It's true that you may be victims as well. But that doesn't justify what you did on Miltia!" Exclaimed Jin.

"There's no need to justify. The words of God represent justice. Our existence defines truth!"

"History shows that those who speak of the word of God have never represented what is right! All they've displayed was deception, falsehood, and aggression!"

"Yes, deception. It's true that it was all deception. What we did was all meaningless." Now this was a surprise. After all this passionate jibbering she has been doing, she's now saying that it was all a lie? That doesn't seem right.

"What?"

"Yes, there is no longer a need for a reason. I am here, now. This is my reason for being." Pellegri paused and let out a sigh. "Jin. Remember that you are free. You can freely accept or reject…anything you please. But I'm different from you. I can never join you. This was fated from the beginning. Then at least, I'll end it with my own hands!" Pellegri twirled her spear and zoomed towards Jin.

"Pellegri!" Cried Jin in vain, but it was no use. There was no talking to her anymore, and it seemed like Jin knew this. The two of them started a one on one fight that lasted for quite some time. In the end, Jin delivered a strike that did serious damage to Pellegri's ES. Various parts of the ES started to explode as it floated limply in the air. "Bail out, Pellegri! There's no sense in you dying! You don't have to accept it!"

"I told you, it doesn't matter anymore. Each person must walk on their own path. Your path and mine, just simply did not cross," stated Pellegri in a tired sounding voice.

"Then, come on! Fight me one more time! Survive, so that you can defeat me!"

"But, I can't. I can't fight anymore! I'm tired. Farewell, Jin Uzuki." The ES began to descend, continuously exploding.

"Pellegri!" Cried Jin. He tried to run to the falling ES, but ES Asher held him back. Then the Vessel of Anima burst out of the ES and then the remains of the mobile weapon exploded, Pellegri's scent fading with it. Voyager appeared once more and took the Vessel of Anima. He headed towards a structure out in the distance that looked like a massive cathedral. Ziggy let out a huff of anger.

"Hey, Old Man? What's wrong?" Asked Jr.

"Ziggy, are you okay?" Asked MOMO.

"I may know where the Zohar is," responded Ziggy in a growl.

"Really? Where?" Asked Jr.

"My memory isn't complete, but there was once a facility where the Zohar was studied. We should head there."

"Why did you keep something like that a secret this whole time?" Demanded Jr.

"I wasn't keeping it a secret. My memory is fragmented and not linked properly. It seems I tried to seal it subconsciously."

"What? How come?"

"Even cyborgs get nightmares. I tried everything I could to erase it."

"A nightmare..." said Canaan.

"That place is the stage of my nightmare. It is an abominable place." Ziggy lead the way the cathedral out in the distance. A few minutes later we finally arrived.

"Is this it?" Asked Jr.

"Yes."

"It looks like a religious facility of some kind," stated Jin.

"It's a cathedral built by Ormus to worship the Zohar. Pilgrimage meetings with the Federation and other such activities took place here," said Canaan.

"Yes, but that's only the official story. In reality, the research of the Zohar took place underneath," added Ziggy.

"No wonder this place looks shady. All right, let's go inside."

"How are we going to get in? Looks like the main entrance is sealed off," I said.

"There is a door on the right side of the building. We will go through there," explained Ziggy. We went over to the right side of the building, and sure enough there was a door on this side as well. We went inside the cathedral and found a large pile of rubble... along with the Black Testament standing on a small pillar in the middle of large altar of some sort.

"I've been waiting for you, Jan Sauer," growled Voyager.

"Agh!" Exclaimed Ziggy in a tone of shock.

"Hey, that's..." started Jr.

"Voyager!"

"I was certain you'd come here," stated Voyager. Ziggy let out a grunt.

"What's going on? What's he got to do with this place?" Asked Jr.

"This is where he killed my wife and child," explained Ziggy. Jr gasped in shock. "Voyager. I'm already dead. Whatever you're scheming in this place means nothing." Voyager shook his head slightly.

"No, you're still suffering, even now. Aren't you? Time stopped for you on that day. You can never escape from it. If you heeded my warning and became a Testament together with me, you wouldn't have had to suffer like that," said Voyager.

"Ziggy, a Testament?" Asked MOMO.

"Why are you so surprised? The same applies to all of you. You, you, and you. Even you, Half Breed. All of you possess the characteristics to become one of us. He knows that, and has been observing you all this time."

"He"? Observing what?" Asked Jr.

"Yes. He planted an observational program in a special Realian. Didn't you notice him standing be and watching you for fifteen years? Program Canaan. Or perhaps I should say Lactis." Canaan let out a quiet grunt.

"Lactis? That's impossible! That was one hundred years ago!" Started Ziggy. That's when something occurred to Ziggy, he let out a gasp of shock. "Canaan, it's you?! You're that Lactis?"

"Codename "Lactis." I was given that name one hundred years ago to observe both Voyager and you, Captain. And now, I am observing all of you, Rubedo," said Canaan. Now this was a shock. All this time, Wilhelm and his Testaments had their ears and eyes in our midst. I could only imagine what sort of damage this had caused.

"Canaan is an observer?" Asked Jin.

"Canaan, you're kidding, right? There's no way you'd be a spy," said Jr.

"Rubedo. What he says is true. That's how I'm programmed," stated Canaan.

"Canaan, you've been betraying us this whole time?" Canaan didn't reply at all. "Say something! Answer me, Canaan!"

"Don't be so hard on Lactis. That's what he as made for. Just as you were created to be a weapon, he was created to be an observer," said Voyager.

"I'm sorry Rubedo," said Canaan.

"Canaan..."

"Enough of this, Voyager! Why are you doing this? What's the point in making Lactis suffer now?" Demanded Ziggy.

"Captain..." Said Canaan.

"Is this why you became a Testament? What's your real objective?! Answer me, Erich!"

"I became a testament to escape the fear of death, and to obtain eternal pleasure. It had nothing to do with you, Jan Sauer. The reason I concern myself with you is extremely simple," said Voyager. Voyager's ES descended and he teleported onto it. "I just want to enjoy my eternal life along with you. One hundred years ago, you ignored my words, and ended your own life. That…is something I cannot accept."

"Is that the reason why you decided to choose this place?"

"Exactly. This is the place where the curtain was closed. Now, let's move on to the encore." The shell of the ES unfolded into insanely large wings behind a much smaller body. "Except this time, I will have to pleasure of finishing you off, myself. Just like I did your son."

"ERICH!" Shouted Ziggy angrily. We fought against the ES. The fact that it's pilot was a Testament made it rather difficult, but in the end we were able to succeed in defeating it. The ES collapsed to the ground, but then it's Vessel of Anima was extracted by a red ES that flew away as quickly as it had come. Voyager teleported out of his ES and back onto his platform. The Zebulum moved towards the pillar and aimed it's laser weapons at Voyager. "It's over, Erich!" Ziggy fired at point blank range. This would have splattered most average enemies all over the cathedral, but unfortunately a Testament is anything but ordinary. The attack had no effect on Voyager.

"Oh, no, it's just beginning!" Ziggy let out a yell of rage and jumped out of his cockpit and pulled out his rocket launcher. While in mid-air he fired several shots at Voyager. But the Testament simply teleported away from the attack and then reappeared right in front of Ziggy. He grabbed him by the face and threw him down to the ground, where he continued to hold him by his face. "No need to struggle. You should know by now, it's impossible for you to harm me." I was about to get out and try and help Ziggy, when Canaan ran over to the two of them.

"No, Captain stop!" Exclaimed Canaan. Ziggy shoved Voyager away, breaking his hold and him. Ziggy was kneeling on the ground.

"Lactis?" Asked Ziggy.

"Please stop, Captain. You can't win against Erich," said Canaan.

"So your subordinate has to save you, Jan. What a fine captain you make," said Voyager mockingly.

"Erich, I want to make a deal with you."

"A deal?"

"You became a testament to conquer the fear of death, right?"

"And what of it? Thanks to his power, I've already conquered it."

"No, you haven't. If the one who gave you the power perished, you would face the fear of death again. You yourself haven't changed at all. Don't you see?"

"Hmph. Nonsense. He will never disappear. My life is eternal."

"Do you really think so? Can you be certain you will not be betrayed by the one you trust? You're the one who sneered that there was no meaning in such things." This seem to hit a nerve in Voyager, he didn't say anything in response to what Canaan had just said. "Use Program Canaan. My subconscious domain is linked to a specified location to send and receive information. I presume you know where that is."

"The Compass of Order..." Concluded Voyager.

"Yes. By linking with me, you can directly absorb the power of the Compass. You'll obtain the power of God. How does that sound?"

"What is it that you want?" Asked Voyager.

"Make me one of you." What was Canaan thinking? Why would he want to be one of those freaks?

"Canaan?" Asked Jr.

"Lactis, what are you saying?" Asked Ziggy.

"No matter what happens, even if I survive here, I am a traitor. I don't want to live on with that sullied label," said Canaan. Voyager walked towards Canaan.

"I see. No wonder you are a specially-designed Realian. I accept your offer. I'll take that power from you!" Exclaimed Voyager. He held his hand to Canaan's forehead and his hand started glowing. "I see! So this is his power? With this, I will become God!" Suddenly something started to happen. Voyager began to disintegrate and fade away. "What? My power… My power is fading!" I noticed that Canaan seemed to be fading away as well.

"I guess you couldn't handle this power, Erich. You've touched something that must never be touched. And so now, you must face your punishment, for all that you have done," said Canaan.

"Lactis! This is what you intended from the very beginning!" So Canaan had planed this, very clever of him... but if he stays connected with Voyager like this, doesn't that mean that he will...

"I'm afraid you will have to join me on a journey into phase space, Erich." They slowly began to fade away even more.

"NO!" Exclaimed Voyager.

"Let go! Lactis, there's no need for you to sacrifice yourself. You won't be able to come back! Your very existence will perish!" Exclaimed Ziggy.

"I know, Captain. But it's all right. I don't want to see anyone else I care about die before my eyes. I didn't exist just to watch you die, and I don't want to exist only to betray you. I truly want another reason to exist. I want to protect…every one of us." There was a brief pause. "Goodbye, Captain."

"Lactis!" Exclaimed Ziggy.

"Canaan!" Cried Jr as he ran over to where Ziggy was. Canaan looked over him.

"Farewell, Rubedo. I pray for the success of your mission," said Canaan. With that, Canaan and Voyager completely vanished from existence.

"I failed yet again," said Ziggy.

"That's not true. He's finally free from his curse. He won't be used by anyone anymore," said Jr.

"So, you chose the same path I did, Lactis." Jr and Ziggy got into their ES's. Before we moved on I thought about what had just happened. So yet another one of our allies have fallen in this battle. It almost makes me wonder how many of us will be left alive by the end of this.

"_Three down, one to go," _said Larz.

"_Yeah. But then there's still Wilhelm and ARMAGEDDON,_" I said in my thoughts. We moved on to the next area. We found a back up generator that allowed us to open the front door. It also powered up an elevator that lead to an underground section. From there we started looking around for the Zohar down there. Along the way I saw a door along a high up ledge. "The L-10 Special Classified Area?" I asked as I saw writing above the small door.

"Hey, Alex! You coming or not?" Asked Shion over the COM Channel. I looked over at them to see that they were waiting for me in front of a large, green door.

"Coming!" I said. We moved through this area and found ourselves in some sort of experimentation ward.

"What is this place?" Asked Jr.

"It looks like some sort of experimentation ward," said Allen. Jin let out a gasp as he saw something. A black ES that looked like it was made by Hyams descended. It was wielding a massive broad sword.

"If you're here, that must mean Pellegri is dead. You killed your former love, yet you still live on. I'll compliment your tenacity, Uzuki," said a familiar voice... Margulis. Jin moved forward, closer to his rival.

"I could say the same to you, Colonel," responded Jin. Margulis let out a quick laugh.

"Hah. Look at the remains of a dream. The final product of human intelligence, human technology that can surpass even God. The end result of desire for forbidden power. The very definition of a nightmare."

"You're the one who repeated that nightmare, Colonel!"

"I, too, was unable to rise above my human existence. It may have been I who sealed this planet into a nightmare. You could say I was pure. If I'd stopped to think for a moment, it all would have been obvious. But the word "martyrdom," seduced and clouded my eyes."

"Colonel, for that word, your followers believed in you…and laid down their own lives. So why are you here? Why are you not beside them?" Demanded Jin.

"Uzuki, those who died with their beliefs were the happy ones. But what about me? There's nothing more pathetic than a pet who's been abandoned by his master. Lacking the

strength of the wild, he merely exposes his pitiful form to the world and waits to die. But it is the same for you. Ormus, Vector, the Federation, Miltia… All of them were nothing but actors for the one objective. What does the term "People of Zohar" mean for us now? We're just fools made to dance to a tune of lies." Margulis sounded different from his usual passionate self, did something happen that changed his attitude?

"Why do you still fight us if you know that?"

"Even a fool has his pride. But after being betrayed and rejected by all I've believed in, there is still one thing left for me. You, Uzuki. My showdown with you is the only thing that will not betray me."

"You didn't think that I would run?" Asked Jin as he got into a fighting stance.

"There's no chance of that. In the end, you and I are both beings who can only express ourselves through strength." Margulis paused for a few moments and then continued to talk. "You were able to kill Pellegri. And I'm sure that you'll be able to satisfy me, as well, Jin Uzuki! As a warrior, and as a man, I will leave my mark upon the world!" Both ES began to fight each other, we didn't bother to get involved in this... this was Jin's fight after all. After awhile, the two stopped fighting and did one final match deciding charge. Margulis blocked Jin's first sword but then he was struck in the waist with the second one. This badly damaged Margulis' ES and possibly injured him too. "Well, well. I see that old fool at least had a good eye. Jin, you are exceptional. But your strength means that you will always be alone in this world. You've cast aside the few people…who understood you, by your own hands. Now, there is no one left who understands you."

"Margulis..." Said Jin.

"Hmph. Very interesting. Now, let's…begin, once again!" Margulis got up and got ready to fight.

"Give up, Margulis!"

"No! Never!"

"It's all right. This is my wish. I have lived to settle the score with you. At this moment, I am not going to…lose to you!" Suddenly over the COM channel, there was the sound of a sword stabbing something. Then Margulis' ES exploded and his scent vanished. The Vessel of Anima popped out of the destroyed mobile weapon and was taken once again by the Red ES. Suddenly, I detected an irregular spike of energy coming from ES Dinah.

"Wh-what's going on?" Asked Allen.

"My pendant!" Stated Shion.

"Hey, what's going on?" Asked Jr.

"It's calling me. Someone ahead is calling me."

"I guess the Zohar isn't here," said Ziggy.

"No, it's here. It's located deeper beneath the ground. It's calling me…it's this way."

"All right, let's go where Shion is taking us. Zohar and Abel may actually be there," said Jr. Shion lead us to the platform which had a stairway leading up to the L-10 door. Somehow, I knew this place was going to be important. We got out of our mobile weapons and walked up the stairway, but the door to the L-10 Classified Area was sealed shut.

"No good, it won't open," said Shion.

"There's gotta be a way past this," said Jr. I approached the door and summoned Larz. A beam of light shot out of the Keyblade and the door slowly opened up. Judging by the dust cloud caused by this thing opening, nobody had been down here in years.

"That works, let's go," said Shion. We took the elevator down and went through a series of small cave corridors until we came across a cable car that lead down to a large blue, glowing gate. It seemed to be made out of crystal. "It's from there. I can hear a voice calling me from there," said Shion as her Pendent started to glow. We went across the chasm using the cable car. As we stood before the glowing gate, we all agreed it would be best to go in single file, one person at a time. I was the last person in line, just my luck. As I was about to go in, I heard a creaking sound. I turned around to see the cables on the cable car snap and the car free fell into the oblivion below. I looked over the edge and let out a whistle.

"We're not going to be getting out of here so easily," I commented. I approached the gate and looked at it. _"My instincts are telling me this is a bad idea, but I don't have any choice."_ Suddenly everything stretched out and the color vanished.

"_Glad to have ya with us, Rookie!" _Echoed a voice while images flashed through my mind. Then everything went back to normal.

"What... what was that?" I took a deep breath. "Whatever it was, it's gone now." I walked through the gate and felt myself getting pulled through. I appeared inside a strange crystal blue hallway where everyone was waiting for me.

"What took you so long?" Asked Ziggy.

"The cable car just went offline... permanently," I said.

"We can use our ES's if we need to, so no problem," said Jr. We proceeded onward into these strange ruins. Everything was made of the exact same compound, from the walls to the floors. The only thing that made parts of the corridors different was the color on the floor. Sometimes it would be blue, but sometimes there would be shades of red and occasionally purple. We even came across a maze of some sort, it took quite a while to get through that. We were all about ready to smash through those annoying rotating walls by time we got to the exit of that hell hole.

"That took too long," said Jin with a tone of frustration.

"I told you, it would have been much faster if we had just went and destroyed those walls but..." I started.

"_Reuel? You have a very nice name,_" echoed another voice in my head.

"Alex? You okay?" Asked Shion.

"Y-yea, I'm fine. I'm okay," I said. We moved onward until eventually we ended up in a large chamber with an equally as large heavily decorated wall in front of us. Unlike the other walls we had seen, this one had runes all over it and was covered in gold lines extending all over the place.

"What is this place?" Asked Shion. Shion held a hand to her head. "Augh!" She exclaimed.

"Are you okay, Chief? Maybe you should rest a little," suggested Allen as he approached her.

"I'm okay. It's already passed."

"What is this? A dead end?" Asked Jr.

"Jr., look at this. These letters," said Ziggy.

"Yeah, they're the same as the ones we saw on that floating landmass. MOMO, can you read it?"

"And the angel answered and said unto the women, fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said." That's the only text I can decipher. The rest isn't in my data," said MOMO. Jin walked closer to the large decorated wall ahead of us.

"Hmm, this material, is it crystal? It feels like some sort of crystalline structure," said Jin.

"This structure has the same composition as Shion's pendant. I detect this compound throughout the planet," said KOS-MOS.

"It's the same as this pendant?" Asked Shion as she looked at her pendent. I started to notice something. Shion was looking terrible, she was looking pale and sick ever since we had come into this weird place.

"_Xehanort must be found at all costs!"_ Echoed another voice in my head.

"In other words, it's definitely not a normal room. But this little room is what Ormus wanted to protect?" Asked Jr.

"_What have you done?"_ Cried my own voice inside my own head... don't ask how that works... I have no idea.

"This is not a dead-end. I detect a large energy source from beyond this room," said KOS-MOS.

"But there's nothing resembling a passage," commented Ziggy.

"_In that case, you can stay with us. Don't worry, I'll take care of you,_" said another voice.

"Say Alex, do you think you could open the way beyond here with the Keyblade?" Asked Shion.

"It's worth a shot." I summoned the Dark Hor... err I mean Larz and I aimed it at the wall, but nothing happened.

"Hm, nothing," said Jin.

"Try again, Alex," said Shion.

"Alex? Who is Alex? That's not my name," I said all of a sudden.

"Are you feeling alright?" Asked Jr.

"Huh? Yeah I'm fine, I don't know why I just said that... but it's the truth. My name isn't Alex." I paused for a moment. Who AM I? "Wait, what's going on here?" Suddenly my head started hurting as my ears became overwhelmed by the deafening sound of the voices. I clutched my head as it continued to throb with pain.

"_That is how you wield a Keyblade, remember that boy!"_

"_Your Keyblade can talk?" _

"_Thank you, for everything Reuel." _

"_That bastard will pay!" _

"_NO!" _

"_Terra!"_

"_Thank you, my friend." _

"_I think you were chosen for a particular reason." _

"_How are you feeling?" _

"Snap out of it, Alex! Hey! You still alive in there?" Asked Jr. Suddenly everything stopped and it was all back to normal.

"W-what?" I asked.

"You were acting really weird, are you alright?" Asked Jin.

"I'm fine." I looked around and saw Shion breathing heavily why holding her head. "Hey Shion, what about you?"

"Huh? I'm fine," she said. Everyone looked over at her and saw why I brought her up.

"Hey, Shion, are you okay? You've been looking pretty sick ever since we came to this room," said Jr.

"N-no..." Started Shion. Suddenly she collapsed to the ground.

"Shion!" Exclaimed Jin.

"Chief!" Exclaimed Allen. We all sat around her, watching and hoping that she would wake up soon. About a few minutes later, she did.

"Shion!" Exclaimed MOMO.

"Are you all right, Shion?" Asked Jin.

"Uh, I…yeah, I'm okay," said Shion. As Shion got up, Nephilim appeared behind us. We all turned over to face her. Shion let out a gasp of shock.

"Nephilim?" Asked Jin.

"_Shion, what you seek lies ahead. If you wish to go forward, you must open the door by your own hands,"_ said Nephilim.

"What?" Asked Shion as she turned around to face the large wall that blocked our path.

"_This room was sealed by the will of a woman who was able to call upon the power of God. She did this to prevent what lies ahead from falling into the hands of mankind. If her consciousness does not awaken, yon cannot reach the truth that lies ahead." _

"A woman? Who?"

"_Someone you know well. In the distant past, she laughed and cried together with you. She is your other half."_

"My other half?"

"_Not just her, there is one other who must awaken. She will not open this door until he has been awakened."_

"Who is this other person?"

"_This person was also connected with you and this woman in the distant past. He is in this very room right now."_ Nephilim pointed over at me._ "Yes, you must awaken Reuel."_

"Who are you, Alex?" Asked Shion.

"I... I don't know anymore. Ever since we came here, I've been starting to wonder that myself."

"_Now, in order to save this universe, she must awaken, but this will force you to make a painful choice. Her awakening will erode and chisel away your life. If you were to turn back here, no one would blame you. Everyone knows your pain,"_ continued Nephilim, moving on to the more important aspect of the subject. Unfortunately this hit a trigger in Shion.

"My pain? No one knows anything about me! No one knows how I feel. I was always alone. Even when I called for help, no one listened! The only one who listened was Kevin," whined Shion.

"_That's not true, Shion. Everyone listened. Everyone wants to protect you,"_ said Nephilim.

"You're saying the same thing everyone else is. Then why didn't they save me? They stayed away from me, like I was some kind of a disease! It would have been better to have been denounced or condemned!"

"_Shion, please don't lose sight of yourself. Don't let his words overcome you."_ Shion looked around at everyone.

"You don't have to worry. I'll open the seal. But it's not for any of you. It's for my own sake, and to take responsibility for what's happened to the universe!" As Shion began to walk towards Nephilim I teleported in front of her.

"I don't know what's gotten into you, but don't think you have to take this burden all on your own. I am in quite a similar situation, but even so..."

"I know, I wasn't talking to you. Shut up," said Shion coldly as she pushed me aside.

"_Tell me you are going to smack her for being rude,_" said Larz.

"_No, I won't bother. It's not important right now,"_ I said in my thoughts. Suddenly Allen ran past me and blocked Shion.

"Chief, wait! Why do you torture yourself like this?" Exclaimed Allen.

"Move, Allen. This doesn't concern you." Said Shion as she shoved him out of the way rudely.

"Yes it does! I've always lov..." Shion looked over at him. "I-I'm worried about you!" Shion took several steps away from Allen.

"You saw what happened. I summoned the Gnosis. I caused the destruction of the universe and everything. I am the reason Alex got involved in all of this."

"That doesn't mean you have to take on everything by yourself! I, I mean, we, we're all... If we put our heads together, we can find another way!"

"You're so naïve. The situation is already far beyond that. Allen what power do you have? Can you save me? Can you save my life?"

"I..." Said Allen sadly as he looked away.

"You don't have any power at all. If you can't do anything, then just shut up!"

"Chief..."

"Shion, that's going too far! He loves you!" Exclaimed Jin. Shion held her hand to her head and let out a groan of pain.

"Chief, do you miss him that badly? Even with your body broken like that, you still have to see him?"

"I've made up my mind. Leave me alone!" As Shion approached Nephilim, she looked over at me. "What are you standing over there for? Get the hell over here already!" I stuck a hand to my forehead and walked over to her while muttering things under my breath.

"_Shion, are you sure?"_ Asked Nephilim.

"Yes," said Shion. Nephilim looked over at me.

"_There will be no turning back. Are you sure you want to go through with this?" _

"I don't have too much of a choice," I said.

"You can run away and be a coward if you really want to," said Shion.

"Fu..." Before I could curse Shion out there was a bright flash of light and we were transported to that floating landmass. Only this place was different. The land was alive and there were birds singing and a cool breeze blew by. Even the ruins here were more intact.

"This must be... Lost Jerusalem," said Shion.

"I still can't grasp it. How could I have been here in the distant past? Before I started traveling around and keeping the peace, I grew up in my hometown of Arkives and then I spent many years of my life working on the Sphere Company," I said.

"The answers must lie ahead. Maybe we should check out that tomb area where we encountered T-elos."

"Sounds good to me," I said. We proceeded along the forest path towards the tomb. We went down the stairs and into the tomb.

"The stones are still new. They look like…they were just made," said Shion. We both noticed chaos standing behind the cross. He was wearing the outfit that he had on in my vision. "chaos! I don't understand. Why are you here?" Asked Shion.

"Since you two are here, it must mean that you have come for her," said chaos.

"Her?" Shion paused for a moment. "Yes, that's right. Where is she?" Without pause, chaos raised up his hand and pointed at the casket in front of us. "In this casket? chaos, who is in this casket?" But chaos was no longer there, he had vanished somehow. Shion and I looked at each other. We nodded and pushed the lid of the casket open. As I saw the person inside I gasped, so did Shion. "What? This is... it's KOS-MOS! No, wait, she's human. She looks just like KOS-MOS and T-elos. Kevin must have used her as the model, when he first built them."

"So that's what her connection was, that explains a few things," I said.

"What do you mean?"

"This woman has appeared in my visions multiple times. Somehow I know her from many years back. I've had many flashbacks of memories with her in them."

"What's her name?"

"That I don't know." Shion looked back at the woman.

"She's so beautiful. She looks like she's sleeping." Just as Shion was about to touch the woman's forehead, her eyes shot open, revealing her sapphire eyes. She looked at both of us. Shion let out a gasp and retracted her hand.

"I finally found you," I said. Suddenly, the woman started to glow with a bright light. We shielded our eyes from the blinding light and then everything went dark.

* * *

So what will happen next? What is the connection between Reuel, Shion, and the mysterious woman? Find out in the next chapter. Anyway, please review!


	17. Mary

I give my thanks to all who reviewed, not to mention all who are reading this story.

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Ocean, Kingdom Hearts, or Xenosaga.

* * *

Chapter 17: Mary Magdalene

As the light faded, I found myself sitting on a chair in a pitch black world. A pillar of light was shining down on me, and behind me the pendulum from Luther's Private Lab swung back and forth in a steady rhythm.

"Alex... Reuel... aren't we two different people? All my life, I have always been known as: 'Alex'. Is Reuel my real identity? I was so sure of who I was... but now everything has changed," I said. My Father appeared in front of me several feet back.

"The answers are coming, once you get them you will know how you are once more," said my Father.

"Where will I find those answers? I have been told that answers are coming multiple times and they never came! So where the hell are they?" I exclaimed with a tone of frustration. My father pointed at me.

"Inside of you."

"Inside of me?"

"Yes, to find them you must go back into the memories of your long last past. By doing this, you shall awaken as Reuel." Suddenly there was a blinding flash of light. I felt my body getting thrown and I felt something cover my body from head to toe.

When I opened my eyes, I was wearing my suit of armor. The sun was setting and the sky was covered with clouds glowing with a golden light from the sun. A gentle breeze blew by across the wasteland. All around me were countless Keyblades, some of them had belonged to friends of mine. The sight of them filled me with anger. To my right were my comrades Ven and Aqua; behind us was our leader, Terra. We starred out into the distance as a shadowy figure approached us.

"Here he comes," said Ven.

"I've got a bad feeling about this," said Aqua.

"Don't worry, everything will be alright," said Ven reassuringly.

"Let's put an end to this... once and for all," I said as I clutched the Dark Horizon tighter.

"Stay calm, Reuel. Don't let your thoughts take you away from the battlefield," advised Terra. He paused for a second. "Alright, cut the small talk. He's here." The elderly Xehanort started to approach us with his hands behind his back. Suddenly a guy wearing a strange organic suit and a dark gray helmet appeared out of his shadow. This must be Xehanort's Apprentice... or what's left of him. Ven tried to make a dash towards Xehanort, but Terra held him back and then charged right towards them. As he got close, Xehanort raised his right hand and a pillar of rock shot up. Then a whole series of rock pillars began to rise, creating a rocky structure.

Aqua, Ven, and I all rushed up onto the lower platforms to help Terra. Terra had just been hit by a lightning attack from Xehanort's Apprentice. Ven and I rushed towards Xehanort's Apprentice, but out of nowhere a massive Tornado made up of all the Keyblades that had been on the ground a few seconds ago shot by us. We ran along side of it pursuing Xehanort's Apprentice. He jumped onto it and started unleashing a barrage of Blizzaga spells at us. Aqua tried hitting him with a Thundaga spell but he dodged it and continued riding on one of the Keyblades on top of the Tornado like a surf board.

"Creative son of a bitch," I muttered. As we started climbing up to higher sections, the Tornado returned. Terra got knocked off his platform as the Tornado ripped a section of the pillar clean off. Terra stabbed his Keyblade into the wall, and held on for dear life as the section got stuck between two pillars. As Aqua, Ven and I looked up towards him and tried to figure out how to help him, the tornado suddenly shot out of nowhere and took Aqua up with it. She eventually fell out of it and landed on the ground, leaving a medium sized crater. Her helmet was destroyed, revealing her short blue hair and blue eyes. Ven rushed to her side to see if she was okay. I ran up the wall towards the Tornado. The Tornado moved upwards and took Terra with it as it continued upwards to the highest platform. I eventually got high enough and I jumped towards the Tornado. I grabbed onto one of the Keyblades and held on tightly as I began climbing up. Fortunately, the controller of this tornado seemed more focused on Terra, which allowed me to climb up easily. As I got up to the second highest platform, Xehanort's Apprentice popped up out of the Tornado right next to me and slashed at me with his Keyblade. I held on tightly to the Dark Horizon and the other Keyblade I was holding and crash landed on the second highest platform. Xehanort was a little over ten feet above me. I looked at the Keyblade I had in my hand... it was the Immaculate Amalgam, a Keyblade that one of my friends had used. I dismissed it, reclaiming it. Suddenly a blue light shot into the Tornado and formed a protective barrier around Terra... Reflectaga. The Keyblades collided against the sides of the sphere and several seconds later the sphere exploded, destroying the Tornado and sending Terra flying down to the top platform. I saw Ven run up to the top as well. As I got up, Xehanort's Apprentice landed on the ground in front of me. I slashed at him, but he blocked it and kicked me, sending me back down to the ground. He tried to stab me with his Keyblade. I blocked and shot my leg's upward sending him to the ground.

"No, Ven!" Exclaimed Terra above. I immediately began to climb up towards the top. Suddenly I saw the Tornado return and send Terra down to the middle level of this structure. Then I saw Ven, frozen solid, falling towards the ground. A chill went down my spine as I looked upwards towards my enemy. I got to the top and got into a fighting stance.

"Xehanort!" I exclaimed. Xehanort smirked.

"If it isn't the young apprentice, barely over the age of 12. Perhaps you should go home and go to bed. I'm sure you have school tomorrow," said Xehanort in a mocking tone.

"Don't underestimate me!" I exclaimed. Xehanort's Apprentice was about to run towards me, when his Master held up his hand.

"I'll handle him." Xehanort readied his Keyblade. It was silver and looked more like the arm of some sort of monster instead of a Keyblade. I ran towards him and slashed downwards, he blocked and then slashed at me while only using one hand. He fired a Blizziaga spell at me, I back flipped into the air to avoid the attack. As I slashed at him again, the force of his second strike sent my arm flying backwards and then he slashed me in the gut, through my armor. I let out a grunt of pain as I crumbled to my knees. Xehanort grabbed the back of my head and held me up. He put his other hand in front of me. "Did you really believe that you stood a chance?" With that he shot a Firaga spell right into my face and threw me to the other side of the platform. "The stupid kids sure do die young these days," said Xehanort. Fortunately for me, the helmet I was wearing had been blessed with protective spells. So Xehanort's attack only destroyed my helmet and didn't do any damage to me. If I hadn't been wearing a helmet, that spell would have blown my head off.

Xehanort held his hand up and the Keyblade transformed into a pink sphere of light with a blue center. Xehanort held it high into the air with an evil smile on his face. He shot it up into the clouds. Then all of a sudden they parted and a blue moon shapped like a heart appeared and radiated pale blue light onto the battlefield. Xehanort held his fist up with a pleased look on his face. I slowly got up, he hasn't won yet, not yet. I slowly got up and got ready to charge. I ran several steps and then jumped into the air, attempting to land an aerial strike on Xehanort. Xehanort shot his head over to me and clenched his teeth, he had been caught of guard.

"Shit!" He exclaimed.

"Reuel! No! Get the hell out of there!" Exclaimed Terra from below. As I drew closer, Xehanort's hand began to glow with light. He fired off a spell at me at the very last second before I would have been in striking range. This resulted in a massive explosion.

" _Terra, Aqua, Ven... I'm so sorry I failed,_" I whispered in my thoughts as I blacked out. When I woke up I was lying down face first in some grass. The wound I had taken to my lower torso was still there. I slowly and painfully got back up. Before taking a look at my surroundings, I pulled out a potion and used it. It wouldn't heal the wound, but it would give me time to figure out what just happened along with finding somewhere to get my wound treated.

I took a look around and noticed that I was in a forest of some sort. Wherever I was, I was nowhere near the battlefield. The sky here was cloudy and looked like it might rain soon. Plus the air had that feeling that it usually does when it's about to rain. I don't know what happened, and I don't know where Terra, Aqua, and Ven are. But if they are here, then I had better hurry up and find them. Hopefully Xehanort won't be here. I slowly walked along the dirt path in the forest towards wherever this path lead. My instincts were right, not too long after I started walking it began to rain. I tried to go on but after half an hour or so past, the effects of the potion were not enough to help with the wound. I collapsed against a tree trunk and slid down into a sitting position. This tree was dead and it's branches gone, so I could see the sky above. It was a dark gray color, just like it was during the fight with Xehanort. As I sat there, the rain began to pour down onto my face and I got soaked. As the rain continued to fall, I began to feel alone. Where was everyone? Would they find me in time? I grew cold, I folded my arms against my chest and drew my legs in. But this didn't help much and I began to shiver.

"Terra... Aqua... Ven... where are you guys?" I asked as I continued to shiver. Was this how I was going to die? Abandoned on the side of a road, unable to go any further? That's when I heard voices. Judging by their voices, it was two women. One was slight younger than the other.

"I thought the rain wouldn't start until later!" Exclaimed the younger one.

"I know, the rain did come rather early," said the other voice. A few seconds later I saw the two of them. The younger one turned out to be a girl who was probably just a year or two older than me. She wore a white robe with a blue front and she wore sandals. She had medium length brown hair and green eyes. The older woman had long, dark brown hair, dark skin, and deep sapphire blue eyes. She wore a blue robe and sandals. A white cloth was wrapped around her shoulders and the front of her chest and looked like it was attached to the robe she was wearing. As they began to draw closer to me, the older one stopped moving and looked right at me with her sapphire eyes. She had unusual eyes, it was like she could look right into my soul if she wanted to. The younger one looked over at me as well. The older woman approached me and crouched down in front of me. She smiled warmly and continued to look at me with those eyes.

"What are you doing out here in the rain? Don't you know you'll get a cold if you stay out here too long like this?" She asked.

"Y-yea, I know," I said.

"What is your name?"

"R-Reuel," I stammered.

"Reuel? You have a very nice name. So tell me, Reuel, what are you doing here?" I didn't know how to respond to this question. I still didn't know how I had ended up here.

"I-I don't know. I was with my comrades, we were fighting Xehanort when... when... I don't know, I can't remember."

"You're comrades? Where are they now? Do you know?" I shook my head.

"I don't know. When I woke up I was alone." I paused for a moment. "I don't know what happened. I don't know where I am. I don't even know if they are alive. I don't... if I lose them... they... they're like family to me. I don't..." I broke down and began to cry. "I don't want to be alone again, not again! I don't want to lose everything again!" The woman placed her hands on my shoulders, trying to comfort me. Before she said anything, she noticed my wound. She seemed shocked after seeing this.

"You're hurt," she said. I wiped my tears off my face and looked up at her.

"It comes with the job when you are in the military." Either she had never seen a wounded soldier before, or she wasn't expecting me to be part of the military. That's what I got from the look of shock and horror that appeared on her face.

"Come on, let's get you some shelter and get those wounds treated." My vision began to blur and darken. I tried to say something, but I was unable to, I just didn't have the energy. I heard another voice coming in. It sounded like a male voice. My vision grew dark and darker and everything I was hearing began to fade out. "Hey, hang in there! We'll get you patched up!" Then I blacked out... again. When I woke up I was in a house of some sort. A wool blanket covered my body up to my shoulders as I rested on what felt like a patch of hay. My eyes were barely opened and everything was still blurry. But I could see the people who I had encountered on the road.

"Military, huh? He doesn't look like a soldier from any nearby country. I don't think there were any battles on the Oasis, so I have no idea how he could have gotten this far with that wound," said the man. He had dark skin and short white hair. His aquamarine eyes looked towards the woman as he spoke with her.

"Who'd send a young child like this into battle? It's barbaric," said the woman.

"It's possible his involvement in war was an act of desperation by his country. Drafts have been known to happen in those situations."

"Maybe so, but he's only a child. I looked into his eyes and saw a lonely child who has known nothing but fighting for a very long time."

"So what are we going to do with him?" Asked the younger girl.

"I don't know, we've done what we can with his wound. Only time will tell if he..." My eyes closed again and I went back to sleep. When I woke up again I saw the woman standing over me, placing a wet cloth onto my forehead. She noticed that my eyes had opened and she smiled. "Good evening, how are you feeling?"

"I'm alright, I'm just a little tired," I said.

"Get some sleep then, your injury has mostly recovered." I nodded in acknowledgment and went back to sleep. When I woke up, I heard a couple of birds singing. I sat up from the patch of hay I had been resting on and I looked around. This was a relatively small house, made entirely out of wood. Not too far away from me was a door to the outside covered only by a thick cloth. A window to the right of the door was open and light poured in through it. In front of the window was a desk with a chair. There were some side rooms in this house as well but I couldn't see them. I slowly stood up and walked around a little. The temperature was rather hot, despite the fact that we were in a place that was filled with vegetation. I looked around to see if anyone who had rescued me was in the house, but they weren't. I walked outside of the house and looked around. I was in a small village of some sort. The house I was at was on a small hill and a little ways away from the other houses. People were walking along from building to building carrying out their daily lives. It was so peaceful compared to the places I had been to during the Keyblade War.

"_I could get used to this,_" said the Dark Horizon in my thoughts.

"Same here," I said.

"Up on your feet already?" Asked a voice. I looked over to see the woman. She was with the younger girl, they were both carrying a bucket of water.

"Yeah, I feel fine now." The woman smiled.

"That's good." She and the younger girl walked through the door into the house. "Hey Reuel! What are you standing there for, come on in!" I entered the house and the two of them set down the water buckets on the side of a wall.

"I thought you were going to be out for another day," said the younger girl.

"I'm tougher than I look," I said. Then the man from earlier walked in. He looked at the two girls first, and then over at me.

"Ah, your awake now," he said.

"Yup."

"So what are you going to do now?" I hesitated for a moment. I had no idea where I was going to go. I didn't even know where I was.

"I don't know. I might just head out and try to find my friends."

"There are several miles of desert between the edge of the oasis and the nearest town. We are close to the center of the oasis which adds even more miles to that," said the woman.

"She's right. Unless you know for sure where you are going, you won't survive the conditions of the desert. If you really wanted to go out there, I'd recommend waiting for the next caravan to come by."

"I don't know what I'm going to do. I feel so lost and confused."

"Take your time, you don't need to make a decision right away. Feel free to stay with us while you try to figure out what to do," said the woman with a warm smile.

"Thank you. You know, after everything you've done for me... I don't even know your names."

"I'm Yeshua," said the man.

"I'm Shion!" Chirped the younger girl.

"And I'm Mary Magdalene," said the woman.

"Thanks for helping me guys," I said.

For the next month or so I helped with various chores. They were happy to have an extra helping hand. I continued to think about what I was going to do. I knew that I was going to be listed as either KIA or MIA, but that was alright. I began to like living here, it had a different feeling than my previous life. A lifetime of fighting. One day while Shion and Yeshua were off somewhere else, I was doing some chores while Mary was cutting a vegetable.

"You seem to be getting quite used to life here," said Mary. I stopped what I was doing and looked over at her.

"Yeah." I said with a nod.

"Have you thought about what you are going to do?" I paused for a moment and then I felt it was time to ask what I had been wanting to ask.

"Say, I was wondering. Would it be possible for me to stay here in this village?" I asked.

"Of course."

"Alright, I guess I'll get started building my house tomorrow."

"Now why would you need a house when you are living in one now?" Asked Mary with a smirk.

"What?" I asked.

"You asked if you could stay, and I said yes." She approached me. "As of today, I am officially making you a member of this village. And also I am adopting you as a little brother." She said as she quickly patted me on the head.

"What? Really? Are you sure that's okay?"

"It's perfectly fine, Reuel." Later that day, Mary told Yeshua and Shion. They didn't object at all, they welcomed me.

Five years have passed since then, I had grown extremely close to everyone. At first I had always called Mary: 'Ma'am' or Ms. Magdalene. But she told me that I really didn't have to call her by those names. After awhile I began to call her 'Sis' and she didn't mind that one. I had never forgotten how to wield a Keyblade, not once. But I had only had to use the Dark Horizon a few times since I had come here, it was not a daily part of my life. Because of my combat skills I was appointed to be a bodyguard for Sis. Apparently she's a really well known, famous person. I also found out that Shion is some kind of maiden for Sis. Lately, Sis has been busy with some sort of experiment. Some sort of thing called Zarathustra was built and was powered by the Zohar and something else. I didn't really know the details. One day I was walking along the village path with Shion.

"Yeah, I don't believe that," she said.

"What? It's true! Back where I came from, we had large yellow birds that we rode around on. They were called Chocobos," I protested. Shion giggled and smiled.

"Sorry Reuel, but that crazy story of yours is a little far fetched. The only kind of animal that's best suited for riding on is a horse."

"I dunno, I prefer Chocobos over Horses."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say Reuel." We stopped walking and she looked around. "Well, I've got some chores to take care of. See you back at the house."

"Want me to come with you?" Shion smirked.

"Thanks, but not today. Just get back over there," said Shion as she playfully pushed me. She walked off, but not before looking back at me and shooting a quick smile at me. I smiled and let out a sigh. Then I looked up towards the house. As I got closer I heard the sound of something crash.

"Oh shit!" I exclaimed as I summoned the Dark Horizon. I ran up the small hill and began to approach the open door. I saw Yeshua standing there, his head was looking down at the ground. "Yeshua! What's going on? Is Sis alright?" Suddenly Yeshua shot his head up and looked at me with blank white eyes. He shot a blast of energy at me which sent me flying to the ground several feet back. He then walked out of the house and down towards the village. I got up and ran inside. Sis was kneeling on the ground with pieces of a broken plate in front of her. "Sis, are you okay?" She looked up at me, there were tears coming down her face.

"He's... he's gone out of control," she said.

"What are you talking about?"

"Yeshua... he is the failsafe implanted by God. And now it seems his powers are awakening."

"A failsafe? What for?"

"To ensure the destruction of this Universe."

"What?" I exclaimed. Sis stood up and looked at me.

"We have to seal his powers along with the Zohar, I need your help Reuel." I nodded.

"You got it, I'll do whatever I can. But what about Yeshua?"

"Don't worry, he'll be alright." When we left he house, Yeshua had not gotten too far away. Shion noticed him coming and began to approach him.

"Oh, hey Yeshua! How are you today?" Without warning he raised his hand towards her. Sis let out a gasp and began to run towards him, I began doing the same thing too. But it was too late, the young maiden was shot by a blast of energy and then Yeshua kept on going.

"No! Shion!" Cried Sis. She held the dying girl in her arms as tears poured down her face. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry I wasn't able to protect you..." I lowered my head sadly, how could this have happened. I looked up towards the direction Yeshua went. I clenched my fist in anger. This wasn't going to slide. I got up and began to walk in that direction. I stopped and looked back at Sis.

"I'm going over there. Come when you are ready, okay Sis?" Sis looked up at me with a look of sorrow on her face. She didn't say anything. I ran to the location Yeshua had gone to. He had gone to the flower field, where Zarathustra was located. He extracted the Zohar from Zarathustra and it began to glow. "Not so fast!" He stopped and looked over at me. "Yeshua, do you realize what you just did back there?" There was no response. I held the Dark Horizon out. "Answer me!"

"He is unable to hear us, he can't control what he is doing," said Sis as she approached me. I looked over at her.

"Sis!" I said.

"Sis? Is that who I am? I just.. I don't know anymore..." She said sadly.

"W-what? What are you..."

"Reuel, keep him at bay while I begin to seal his powers away. Then you must seal the Zohar away, understand?" I got into a fighting stance.

"Yeah!" I charged towards Yeshua. He dodged to the side as I slashed at him. He tried to fire an attack at me. "Reflectaga!" I shouted. The attack hit the barrier I had created and there was an explosion. Yeshua was sent flying back and so was I. I continued using this small strategy until eventually Yeshua got the upper hand. He managed to hit me with an energy attack that shot right through me. I coughed up blood as I slumped to the ground. Right then a burst of light hit Yeshua. I looked over to see Sis holding her hands out. Yeshua stumbled back as twelve large objects that looked like the backbone of a monster appeared and fell onto the ground around him. Sis ran over to me.

"Reuel!" She exclaimed. I got up even though there was a hole in me. I raised the Dark Horizon up towards the Zohar.

"Gotta... finish... the job..." A beam of light shot from the Dark Horizon and hit the Zohar. It began to glow and cracks started to appear in it's golden structure. I jumped up into the air and slashed it with my Keyblade, resulting in a large burst of energy and then the Zohar fell apart into dust. The only thing that was left was a small silver plate that looked like a miniature Zohar. I fell to the ground, which aggravated my wound, resulting in my coughing up more blood. Sis approached me and held my head up. "Job... done..." I grunted. Sis smiled.

"I know, thank you Reuel." She began to glow with light. "Thank you for everything." She smiled warmly, even though tears were falling down her cheeks.

"No, thank... you... you gave... me... a place... to stay after I lost everything. It's... because... of you... I am... a stronger... person..." My vision began to blur and darken.

"So Yeshua's power has been sealed," said a voice. I couldn't see him but I knew it was Wilhelm, Mary's superior apparently. I tried to listen into the conversation but then everything went dark and I didn't hear anything.

* * *

Shion had encountered the woman from the casket through a series of visions. She encountered her on a field of flowers. As she suggested that they look for the answers together, she wrapped her arms around the woman in the form of a hug. They stayed this way for half a minute before the woman looked up and then around.

"What's wrong?" Asked Shion.

"I sense him. He has awakened."

"He?" Asked Shion. "Wait... do you mean Reuel? I mean, Alex?" She nodded.

"Yes, let's go see him."

* * *

I woke up on the Dark Beach. A breeze blew by as I let out a sigh. I know who I am now, I know where I came from, and almost all of my questions have been answered.

"I'm overwhelmed at what I've learned," I said.

"_So you ARE Reuel, you weren't a new owner, you just happened to find me again,_" said Larz.

"But how did I come back to life? I am supposed to be dead."

"_I have no idea."_ I let out a sigh.

"Now it's even more confusing..."

"You will find the answers soon," said a familiar voice. I turned around to see Shion and Sis standing there.

"S-Sis?" I exclaimed. She smiled warmly, just like she used to.

"It's good to see you again," she said.

"You've awakened..." Stated Shion. I nodded.

"Yeah, I know who I am now." I looked back out towards the horizon of the sea. "But we've got a lot of work ahead of us. There is still so much that must be done." I let out a laugh. "Maybe I'm in over my head..."

"You're not alone in this," said Sis as she placed a hand on my shoulder.

"We're going to find the answers, and you are going to help us," said Shion as she placed her hand on my other shoulder.

"Not much of a choice, huh? Alright, I guess we've got a lot of work to do," I responded. There was a bright flash of light and when I opened my eyes I was lying down face first on the cold floor of that strange crystalline room deep within Michtam. I slowly got up and stretched. "Man, I felt like I just took a nap..."

"You were only out for a few minutes," said Jin. I looked over to see everyone standing around Shion and I. She was kneeling on the ground still.

"Can you stand, Shion?" Asked KOS-MOS as she approached Shion. I looked over to see that her eyes were blue. It didn't look exactly like her, but I knew that it was Sis. Shion stood up and looked right at Sis.

"You've awakened, haven't you? Into your real self. You're..."

"Mary!" Interrupted a familiar voice. We all looked up to see T-elos standing on the platform above.

"Mary?" Asked Shion. T-elos' sharp eyes focused directly onto Sis. She jumped down from the platform and landed on the ground.

"Mary Magdalene, my will. You're finally awakened," she said while taking a step towards us.

"T-elos..." Said Allen.

"That is not the vessel in which you are meant to dwell! Surrender and become part of me, KOS-MOS!" Exclaimed T-elos. She whipped out her Vibro blade and began to run towards Sis. I summoned Larz and got right into her path. T-elos attempted to slash at me, only to have it blocked by Larz.

"I see part of you is still in tact, Alex. You insist on getting in the way," said T-elos with a sneer.

"Do you really think that I'd let you lay a finger on Sis?" I asked. T-elos glared at me, and pulled her blade away and kicked me back.

"Are you blind? Your beloved Sister is right in front of you! KOS-MOS only has my will, I am the more complete version of Mary Magdalene! And if you truly wish to be reunited with your Sister, then stand aside!" I responded by attempting to land an attack on T-elos. She jumped away from me. "You DARE defy me? Me, the one who picked you up while you were rotting on the side of the road? Me, who gave you shelter from the storm? Me, who gave you a new purpose in life? Have you lost your mind, Reuel? Or have you forgotten what your duty is?"

"I know what my duty is. My duty... is to protect her! My duty is to protect my Sister!" I pointed at Sis. "And over there, THAT is my Sister! Even if she's in different body, she's still the same person who saved me!" Suddenly Larz began to glow with a bright light, all the runes on the side of the blade began to glow as well. Larz rose up from out of my hand and bolts of energy began to shoot down onto the Keyblade. The dark sun from back when I had acquired Larz was rising once again. But this time it glowed with red energy. The light finally faded and when Larz floated back down into my hand, I immediately noticed changes. The blade was now shapped like a triangular sword. The half sun, or the teeth of the Keyblade, was now a full sun that floated only an inch away from the blade. The handle was now decorated with symbols as well.

"I... I don't believe it. Alex... you finally achieved the Last Requirement!" Said Larz. I looked at him.

"How?" It seemed rather strange. How could I have gotten the Last Requirement at such a random time? What IS the Last Requirement anyway?

"You remembered the love you had for your Sister, Mary Magdalene. The bond you shared with her was the Last Requirement. Just like Luther's was his love for Clair."

"That makes sense."

"Your powers have fully awakened, you are the perfect underling to serve me when I have awakened! But first, I guess I must discipline you for your actions... my dear ungrateful little brother!" Exclaimed T-elos. I got ready to fight.

"I'll show you what I can do with this new power!" I exclaimed. I charged towards T-elos and and slashed at her. She blocked it and counter slashed. I jabbed at her but she jumped into the air and landed behind me. I held my hand towards her and shot a flare spell at her. T-elos jumped up into the air away from the attack and landed on the upper platform. I jumped up there and landed on the platform while bringing Larz down towards T-elos. She back flipped onto the wall and began to run along it. I did the same and began to pursue her. She noticed me chasing and quickly turned around. As she slashed at me I blocked it. Suddenly the teeth (the sun) of the Keyblade moved away from the body and floated above me. It started to shoot a bunch of laser attacks at T-elos. The attack resulted in T-elos' guard being broken. I took this opportunity to land several attacks on her and then I knocked her down to the ground. As I landed she got up. The sun floated back down and remained floating a few inches away from the blade.

"Wow, Larz! Was that you just now?" I asked.

"Yes, now that my powers have been fully restored I can help you out in battle," said Larz.

"You've gotten better now that your powers have awakened. But you are still no match for me!" Exclaimed T-elos. She rushed towards me and slashed at me again. But when I blocked she dodged to the side of me and ran towards Sis. She slashed at her, but Sis dodged to the side. T-elos tried this again only to have the same result. T-elos lunged forward and Sis jumped back away from the attack. She then stepped on T-elos' blade and back flipped over Ziggy. He attempted to throw several punches at T-elos, all of which were either dodged or blocked. Finally she grabbed his fist and threw him up into the air, and then kicked him towards Sis. Sis managed to catch him, but she slid back. As T-elos began to charge towards them, Shion came in from the side. She slashed at her with her MWS and then threw a kick at her. T-elos blocked and then hit the MWS, causing Shion to go sliding back. Jin jumped in and slashed at T-elos twice, she blocked both attacks and turned around quickly to kick Shion back again. She then slashed at Jin, he managed to block but he was thrown back a little. I ran in and slashed at T-elos, she dodged to the side and kicked me up into the air. Then she grabbed my right ankle and spun me around once and then threw me into the fancy wall in front of us. Shion and Jin charge towards T-elos, but she back flipped over them. The two siblings tried again but, T-elos used the same strategy as last time. They paused for a moment and glared at T-elos. Finally they charged at her again only this time she blocked their attacks, resulting in a power struggle.

"I want to know who you are! How are both you, and KOS-MOS connected to that woman?" Asked Shion.

"She is the partner of the Messiah. My body is Mary's body. Inside of KOS-MOS sleeps Mary's will," explained T-elos. Sis ran towards her and attempted to land an aerial kick. T-elos jumped up to the higher platform. "Now that Mary's will had awakened within KOS-MOS, I will take it inside me and complete my resurrection, as the true Mary Magdalene. KOS-MOS is nothing more than a temporary vessel!"

"Mary's…will? Mary's resurrection? Wait, what will her resurrection bring about? And what is it that Kevin's trying to do?" Asked Shion.

"Do you mean that you don't know? You are the Key, Shion. You're the Maiden of Mary Magdalene. Mary's resurrection is what he desires. The convergence of dissipating will, the revival of the soul—that is Mary's duty." T-elos summoned her own black triple Gatling gun. "When Mary fulfills her duty, Zarathustra shall speak!" Hearing Zarathustra caught my attention immediately. Maybe now I could get some answers.

"What is Zarathustra?" I demanded. I never got a response, as Sis summoned her own triple Gatling gun and jumped into the air. She opened fire on T-elos, but T-elos ran along the side avoiding the stream of 50 Caliber tracers that were raining down towards her. They jumped onto the walls and started circling around each other, firing at each other as empty shell cases rained down from where they were fighting. Suddenly T-elos dropped her gun and made a leap towards Shion. She landed right beside her and with her right hand she grabbed Shion by the throat and she held her left hand not to far away from Shion's face.

"You may very well be the Maiden, but interfere and you will regret it. Do you understand? You don't have to be afraid." T-elos pulled out her blade. "It's all right, I'm not going

to kill you for his sake." Sis flew down towards them, in the last few seconds, T-elos kicked Shion away from her and got hit by Sis's attack. T-elos pulled out her hand gun and fired. Sis shielded Shion as she had her back turned towards T-elos. T-elos continued to fire shots but they were all absorbed by Sis's shields.

"Are you all right, Shion?" Asked Sis.

"KOS-MOS… What are you?" Asked Shion.

"Shion, right now I am Mary, and at the same time, I am not Mary. Wasn't it you who said that the heart changes, from one moment to the next?"

"Yes, but, T-elos is trying to make you a part of her! If that happens, then..."

"I don't know what will happen…by merging with T-elos, and becoming the true Mary. I don't know what the—fulfillment of that duty will bring. But..." T-elos ran towards Sis and tried to hit her with the pistol. But Sis grabbed it by the barrel and held it tight.

"You dare challenge me, you defective piece of junk? Do you want to be ripped apart, like before?"

"Listen, T-elos! If your existence…will bring harm to my friends in any way, then I will be forced to stop you!" Said Sis with a glare. She crushed T-elos' pistol and T-elos jumped back. T-elos let out a laugh.

"How amusing. Try your best to entertain me!" Exclaimed T-elos. As if this was the cue I was waiting for, I rushed forward and tried to strike at T-elos. She blocked the first attack and jumped back as I slashed at her again. We struck at the same time, resulting in a power struggle. "You should have joined with us when you had the chance."

"That was never meant to happen, in different circumstances than perhaps. But not like this. This will be our final battle," I said.

"Then I'll make sure to make this place your grave when you are no longer useful to us!" T-elos kicked me back and then everyone charged in and we began to fight T-elos. Sis managed to knock T-elos down. "I see. So, it's not just your appearance that has changed. Fine. But I'm afraid that won't be enough to stop me!" T-elos activated her Phase Transfer Cannon.

"KOS-MOS!" Exclaimed Shion.

"Do not worry, Shion," said Sis.

"But that... that attack will..."

"You are the one who designed this body, and it will take…more than T-elos to defeat me. "

"Shut up, you mechanical doll! Disappear from the face of this world!" Shouted T-elos. With that T-elos fired the red Sphere that had been charging.

"KOS-MOS! Step aside!" Sis caught the blast in a burst of light and neutralized it.

"You neutralized it with one hand?" Exclaimed T-elos with a look of shock. She laughed after that. "You haven't got the best of me. Hardly! This is far from my true power!" T-elos began to charge another shot, only this time it was a deeper red, indicating it was a LOT more powerful.

"Shion, please stand back." Sis began charging a blue sphere from her own Phase Transfer Cannon. As T-elos fired, so did Sis. The two spheres hit but the blue one completely destroyed the red one. A look of shock appeared on T-elos' face as she got hit by the blue sphere.

"W-what?" She exclaimed. Sis pulled out a throwing knife.

"I'm sorry, T-elos, but this is goodbye," said Sis. She threw the knife and as it hit T-elos, her scent vanished immediately. The energy faded and T-elos' lifeless body fell to the ground. Suddenly both Sis and T-elos began to glow with golden light.

"She's resonating with T-elos!" Exclaimed Jin.

"Be careful. We don't know what'll happen next!" Cautioned Ziggy.

"KOS-MOS?" Asked Shion. Sis approached T-elos and picked up the body. T-elos dissipated into gold light and Sis stood up with her back turned towards us. A door appeared on the wall in front of us.

"KOS-MOS! Are you all right, KOS-MOS?" Sis turned around and smiled at all of us with her signature warm smile.

"Shion. Thank you. There's no need to be concerned. I'm fine."

* * *

DEEPER WITHIN THE UNDERGROUND RUINS

* * *

Kevin and Wilhelm stood and a platform looking at a large object concealed by shadows. Wilhelm looked over at his subordinate.

"The moment has finally come. Mary Magdalene has awaken. She will lead all consciousness to Zarathustra. All that remains is for her to insert the key," said Wilhelm. Kevin was silent, and he had a look of worry on his face. Things didn't quite go as he had planned. What else could go wrong before this day is done?

"Are you worried? It was not T-elos who awoke, but KOS-MOS. That wasn't part of your script."

"No, there's no problem," said Kevin, concealing his concerns under an emotionless mask. He turned the other way and looked towards the back of the room. "Mary Magdalene and Shion. The power of the Keyblade. Everything is in our hands." Suddenly a ring of glowing spheres appeared around the object along with glowing runes that floated on top of one of the two spinning rings. All over the Galaxy, people were being turned into Gnosis left and right. More Gnosis were appearing around Michtam as it began to emit a red light that covered all nearby regions of space.

* * *

RADIANT GARDEN

* * *

"Fall back! Fall back!" Exclaimed King Mickey. The battlefield had become a slice of hell when a bunch of Gnosis suddenly started appearing, it had become too much for the last line of defense to handle.

"Where do they keep coming from?" Exclaimed Sora.

"Wak!" Exclaimed Donald as he looked up and saw Michtam up in the sky. "Look guys! That planet is glowing red!" Exclaimed Donald. Everyone noticed the red light coming from Michtam.

"What the hell is going on out there? Alex, tell me your nearly done up there!" Exclaimed Luther. The members of the last line of defense began to fall back as they fought off any Gnosis that pursued them.

"Cid! Activate the emergency town defenses!" Exclaimed Leon on the COM Channel as they retreated. The defense system wouldn't work for long, but it would buy them a little time.

* * *

MICHTAM- UNDERGROUND RUINS

* * *

"What? What's going on?" Exclaimed Shion.

"Gnosis are… An incredible number of Gnosis are gathering at Michtam!" Said MOMO.

"The Elsa just reported in. The Gnosis phenomenon is manifesting throughout the entire star cluster. They've already lost contact with more than 80 of the Federation," said Jr.

"What?" Exclaimed Shion.

"_Shit, that is bad. VERY BAD! If that much of civilization here has already fallen... then it's only a matter of time before everyone on Radiant Garden is..." _I said in my thoughts.

"This planet has restored its original function with my awakening," explained Sis.

"And that's effecting the Gnosis?" Asked Shion.

"Yes. Zarathustra is one of the relics of God. Those who worshiped Mary Magdalene brought it with them from Lost Jerusalem. God gave Mary a choice, the power to change the form of this universe. But in order to call upon the final power, a key is needed," said chaos. I was about to ask why he hadn't mentioned this a little sooner, but I decided that there wasn't a purpose in asking that now.

"A key?"

"That pendant you have. He entrusted you with that pendant for this day." Shion let out a gasp and looked at the pendant. Sis approached Shion.

"Shion, he is waiting for you up ahead. But you are still uncertain. If you meet him as you are now, you may lose sight of yourself," said Sis.

"KOS-MOS, I mean Mary. You were able to recover yourself. What does that feel like? You're right. I'm uncertain. I don't even know where I stand. But that's exactly why I want to see him."

"Let's go. Kevin is waiting," said Sis. We approached the large fancy wall, that now had a door in it. Sis looked over at me. "Go ahead, Alex," she said.

"Sure, Sis," I said. I aimed Larz at he door. A beam of energy hit the door and it faded away.

"Say, Alex. What's up with all this 'Sis' stuff? Why do you keep calling KOS-MOS by that name?" Asked Shion.

"That's what I used to call her in the distant past. Back when we were all on Lost Jerusalem. I had come to Lost Jerusalem during an incident in the Keyblade War. Sis found me and adopted me as a little brother," I explained.

"You've grown up quite a bit since then," said Sis.

"I suppose I have. Now, let's go. We've still got a lot that we have to do," I said. We all went through the open door and out into whatever lay beyond.

* * *

So as the story draws closer to it's finale, what other discoveries will be made? And is it possible to save the three Universes before it is too late? Find out in the next chapter, anyway please review!


	18. The Truth Revealed

Thanks goes to all who reviewed/read the previous chapter! And I don't even need to say anything else, cause you all know what comes next.

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Ocean, Kingdom Hearts, or Xenosaga.

* * *

Chapter 18: The Truth Revealed

The next room was what looked like the inside of a massive crystal shell. The entire area for countless miles consisted of the same crystalline material that we had seen throughout these ruins. The path we were on let out far off into the distance to somewhere, where Zarathustra would be.

"_I still don't understand one thing,_" said Larz in my thoughts.

"_What's wrong?"_ I responded.

"_What was up with how T-elos would act around you?"_ I thought for a moment, I had been wondering the same thing myself. But now, I think I know the answer.

"_There must have been some fragments of Sis' Memories inside of her. She must have detected that she knew me, but she didn't understand her connection with me. Neither did I. We planned to partner up because we believed in a connection that we had, but it was one that neither of us fully understood. Under different circumstances it could have worked out."_

"_That makes sense. You've changed a lot, you are much different than you were back 6,000 years ago. We hardly ever talked. But now we talk frequently." _

"_Having someone to talk to really helped when we were keeping the peace last year." _

"_Though the background outside just never changed."_ Larz and I mentally laughed together at our inside joke. One thing I had once brought up was how space looked exactly the same no matter where you were and the rest is history... or a story better left for another day. As we reached a large walkway we saw something unusual. There were Gnosis fighting against Heartless and Nobodies. It was a massive battle, they were fighting all over the place and in great numbers too.

"What are those things fighting the Gnosis?" Asked Shion.

"The Heartless and the Nobodies... I guess they managed to get here because of the Tri-Unification," I said. I summoned Larz. "Well it can't be helped, just proceed with caution." I charged down the walkway, with Shion and the others by my side. We proceeded through the battle, attacking any enemy that got in the way. Sis was nailing enemies left and right with her Triple-Gatling gun. As we were running she looked over at me.

"So this is what you've been up to while I was away," she said with a smile. I nodded.

"Well, I had to make a living somehow. Sitting at a computer desk just wasn't doing it for me anymore." We broke through the massive battle and arrived at a small circular room. We would have kept on going, but we encountered a familiar face.

"Father..." I said. My old man stood there, he folded his arms and smirked.

"You've done well, Reuel," he said.

"I'm both Alex and Reuel, you don't have to call me Reuel if you don't want to."

"I'd prefer not to call you by your false name, my son." I couldn't help but get the feeling that something wasn't right.

"False name? Excuse me?" I said.

"Where were you born?" Asked my Father.

"I was born in Arkives. Remember our house? It was on the 2nd platform, a few blocks away from the Market..."

"Are you sure about that?" Challenged my father.

"Alex, your old man seems to be losing it. No offense," said Jr.

"None taken..." I said as I approached my father. "Father, what are you talking about? Don't you remember that day that you bought me that training swallow?"

"That was not me, that was Aldax who taught you how to use a swallow. The only part I ever played in your life was bringing you into this world."

"Dad? What's wrong with you? You were there when you bought me that swallow!"

"I told you, that was Aldax. Not me. For you see, I may technically be your father. But I am not Aldax," said my father as his voice changed. There was a burst of light and when it disappeared, Wilhelm stood there.

"What?" I exclaimed.

"Wilhelm!" Exclaimed chaos.

"Aldax died when Axel attacked him at his house. I have been pretending to be him ever since the days I began to appear before you and many other people in order to ensure things would go on the right path," said Wilhelm.

"So you've been pretending to be my father this entire time? So that's what you meant by technically being my father?"

"No, Reuel. I helped bring you into this world. Many years back, I gathered your consciousness from the UMN and with it I revived you. When you were just a baby, I took DNA from Aldax after meeting him once. Then I put that DNA into you, which is why you are only half Nobody. There is no such person called: 'Alex Rothrock'. There never was a person who had that name. The only one who ever existed was you: Reuel." I took several steps back. I could feel everything that I knew about myself completely fall down and fade away into dust.

"N-no. That can't be," I said. Wilhelm ignored me and kept on talking.

"But of course, the Compass of Order predicted the actions of Organization XIII. So I placed your consciousness inside a body that was of similar composition to that of a Realian. Only, this body was able to grow and mature over time. I then created the Genesis Circuit with the help of Kevin, and put your original body to sleep inside that manor. When the time came, you would be transferred into your original body. From there you would gain the powers of Darkness because of Aldax's Cells." I remained speechless as Wilhelm continued to talk. "When you arrived in this Universe last year, you were put into a coma so that you could regain the Dark Horizon. For without that, you wouldn't be able to fully awaken." I fell down onto my knees, completely crushed by what I had just found out. "You still have a job to do, get moving." With that, Wilhelm vanished.

"Who the hell does he think he is?" Demanded Jr.

"Alex? Are you okay?" Asked MOMO. I didn't respond, I just continued to stare blankly at the floor as his words repeated again and again. After a moment of silence I finally spoke.

"Everything I have ever done, it all seems to have been for nothing. In the end, I find out that I'm nothing more than a puppet. A mindless puppet dancing on a stage, dancing to a sonata of deceit. Maybe my entire life has been a lie." Sis knelt down in front of me. She placed her hands on my shoulders.

"That's not true. Even if you were revived, even if you are being used like a tool, you are still you," said Sis. She smiled warmly. "You are in pain, I can feel that. But you are not alone, you never have been. You never will be alone. Take a look around you, you have many good friends by your side." I looked around at everyone and smiled.

"You're right."

"Regardless of whether you want to be called Alex or Reuel, you are still the same person. I have known you for quite some time, and I know that you are no mindless tool like he makes you out to be."

"Yeah, thank you... Sis." I said. Sis helped me back up onto my feet. Sis is right, I can't let something like that get in the way of what is most important.

"Let's go." We moved on to the next area.

"_I agree with her. The two of us make a great team,_" said Larz.

"_Yeah. Now let's get some payback!"_ I responded. We walked along more narrow pathways through the large crystalline core, taking out any Gnosis, Heartless, or Nobodies that we encountered. After awhile we went up a large platform that lead to a massive structure in the middle of the crystalline core. As we walked up the green path we saw a familiar face in the middle of the room. The last Testament, Kevin.

"Kevin!" Exclaimed Shion. We all walked into the room and Shion ran a little closer towards her former lover.

"Shion. And Mary, too. Welcome," said Kevin with a smile. He glanced over at me and sneered. "Oh, oops I almost forgot about you. You incomplete, half-breed clones are so easy to forget about. I suppose I should welcome you to."

"Ha, ha, haa... you son of a bitch," I said as my voice trailed off.

"Kevin, I..." Said Shion as she looked down at the ground. He looked at her with a look of concern.

"I know. You're scared, aren't you? You don't know what you should do or even who you are. You don't know where you belong. You don't need to be afraid any longer. I'll give you those answers," said Kevin with a small smile on his face. Then all of a sudden his face got serious.

"Kevin..."

"I once felt the same way as you do. When this planet was destroyed, I lost everything, even my sense of who I was. It was then that he appeared before me."

"Wilhelm, you mean," said chaos.

"This is what he said to me. He told me of how the Universe would eventually be destroyed. He then told me that the one way to stop this was by stopping history at a certain point and restarting from the very beginning. He called it: "Eternal Recurrence." He'd been preparing for this since before the loss of Lost Jerusalem. Ormus, Vector, even the Federation all existed under his will. After that meeting…I joined the Zohar research team as Joachim Mizrahi's assistant, to prepare for the say that would come. To awaken Mary Magdalene, I created KOS-MOS as her vessel. In it I placed her consciousness, which had dissipated in the U.M.N., and entrusted her to you. And of course, we dealt with other factors like Half-Breed."

"What the hell have you been smoking? It's not possible to restart time!" I exclaimed.

"Don't be so sure, Half-Breed. There is a way," said Kevin with his usual sneer.

"Is that the power of Zarathustra?" I asked.

"Bingo."

"So everything went according to plan? I feel sick just hearing it," said Jin.

"You heard him, Shion. He planned everything from the beginning. He was just using you as well!" Exclaimed Jr. Shion ignored him and took one step closer to Kevin.

"Kevin, when you died, was that all just an act?" Asked Shion.

"No, it was real. I died on that day. In order to obtain power, it was necessary to cast aside my physical body. I needed to deepen your bond with KOS-MOS for Mary's awakening, by removing myself from your life," he responded.

"I can't believe it," said Shion with a tone of disbelief and sadness.

"You've gotta be kidding me! Everything you've done has been a lie! You're the biggest con I've ever met," said Jr.

"Shion, I'm sorry about what I've done to you. But I want you to understand. To save you and the world, I had no choice. With this power, I can free you form the terror of death. I can spend eternity with you. I want to save you, Shion," said Kevin as he ignored anything we said and continued smiling at Shion.

"Kevin…" Said Shion.

"How can you say that?" Exclaimed Allen all of a sudden.

"Allen?" Exclaimed Shion in a tone of shock.

"You try to make it sound good, but in the end, all you were doing was using her!"

"It's to protect her life," stated Kevin.

"You think you're allowed to do anything you want if you think it'll protect someone's life? That it's all right to ignore the Chief's feelings? I refuse to accept that way of doing things!" Kevin sneered.

"You refuse to accept it? Do I need to request your approval? The fact is, she will die. Are you saying that you will accept Shion's death? That you will abandon Shion to her suffering?"

"No, I-that's… But..." Stared Allen. But he stopped and was unable to say anymore. There were several seconds of silence, and Kevin's face was devoid of emotion.

"Pathetic. If the world could be saved through passion, all of this would have been unnecessary." Kevin looked over at Shion once again. "Now, come, Shion. You've done more than enough. You don't need to sacrifice yourself anymore. It's all right to think about your own happiness. You know, don't you? That there's no place for you there."

"Ohh..." Said Shion. She took several steps towards Kevin.

"Chief, don't go!" Exclaimed Allen.

"Listen, you bastard! Leave Shion alone!" Exclaimed Jr. He pulled out one of his hand guns and fired at Kevin. Shion whipped around and blocked the shot with her MWS.

"Stop. Don't hurt him," said Shion.

"Shion? Are you serious?" Exclaimed Jr in a tone of shock. I couldn't believe this was happening either. One of our own comrades was on the verge of betraying us. Somehow, I knew that this meeting with Kevin wasn't going to go well.

"Shion…" Said Jin as he took a step forward.

"Jin?" Asked Shion.

"Shion, you know what he's trying to do. There is a shadow in his heart. And yet you still intend to go with him?"

"I don't know. I don't know what I should do. I'm tired. I don't want to hurt anymore. None of you saved me. Only Kevin has made a place for me," said Shion.

"Shion, none of us want you to suffer. Don't you understand that?"

"I do understand. But that's why I hate it! I've had my fill of pity. And isn't it already too late? It's not like you understood other people's feelings. If you had, Pellegri might not have had to die!" Exclaimed Shion.

"That's crossing a line or two," I commented.

"Shion!" Exclaimed Jr.

"Chief, tha'ts not true!" Exclaimed Allen.

"So then, you're serious about this?" Asked Jin.

"Yes, that's right. I've decided…that I'm gonna go with him. Don't interfere anymore," said Shion. She took several more steps closer to Kevin, she was now on the other side of the room with him. Jin let out a sigh and closed his eyes. He opened them again and drew his sword.

"I understand."

"Jin, stop!" Exclaimed Jr.

"No matter what happens, I intend to do what I must to save our world. Make sure your decision reflects that."

"But, Jin!" Protested Allen. I summoned Larz.

"I don't like the direction this is going on. Don't let it go this way," I said.

"Shion, you've got to stop this! There's still time!" Exclaimed Jr.

"You've got to listen to him, Shion! Please, don't go!" Exclaimed MOMO. Shion took a step closer to Kevin.

"I'm sorry," she said.

"Shion!" Shouted Jr.

"That's enough, just give up. Shion has made her decision. Your roles are over now. Stand down, and listen to the words of God," said Kevin as he put his arm around Shion.

"Like hell, I will! Look, Shion, if that's what you're gonna do, I'm not holding back! I'm bringin' you with us even if I have to beat you up," said Jr. I took several steps forward, towards Kevin and Shion.

"Alright, if that's the way you want to play this game, Shion, that's fine. But don't get in my way, I have to save more than one Universe," I said. I pointed at the opening that lead to the next room. "My mission is completed once the thing beyond there has been destroyed."

"You'd dare to rise up against those who brought you back? You are here because we willed you to be here, half-breed! We could have easily have killed you and made you into a Testament, but we chose to let you have free will. You should be grateful to us who gave you life once more."

"Fuck you!" I snarled.

"Watch your language!" Said Sis as she smacked me upside the head. I rubbed the back of my head and let out a sigh.

"Alright, we can do this the easy way or the hard way." I pointed Larz at Kevin. "Get out of the way or else!"

"Or else what?" Asked Kevin with a sneer. I turned my back on Shion and Kevin and let out a sigh.

"I guess that means the hard way." I spun around and charged towards him. "Die, Testament!" I shouted as I was about to land a strike on him. Shion rushed in front of me and blocked the attack with her MWS. "W-what? What do you think you're doing, Shion?" I asked.

"Don't hurt Kevin!" She exclaimed. I jumped back away from the two of them. Shion just glared at me as she held out her MWS.

"Shion, I have no beef with you. You're one of my comrades and a close friend of mine. I don't want to fight against you like this. Please move." I said. Shion responded only by shooting an ether spell at me. I blocked the attack and stood there, waiting to see what she would do next. Everyone tried to charge towards Kevin but Shion managed to repel the majority of us. Anyone who managed to land an attack on Kevin only hit his shield and nothing more. I'd try to use Larz on him, but with Shion here I wouldn't have enough time to charge a shot and fire it. As Shion was trying to fend off her friends from reaching Kevin, I fought against him. He had summoned an odd organic looking axe that looked like a sword as well. We clashed weapons together but neither of us made much progress. After awhile, both battles had reached a stalemate which then became an intense starring contest of glares.

"Stop! Please, stop this!" Exclaimed Allen as he ran into the middle of us.

"Get out of the way, Allen!" Exclaimed Jr.

"Yes, I'm afraid I'll have to ask you not to interfere," said Jin.

"No, I won't move! Chief, guys, everyone get a hold of yourselves. What are you all trying to prove by fighting like this?" Demanded Allen. "I've had enough! I didn't come here to do something meaningless like this! We're all fighting to protect the universe so we could all survive, right?" Kevin took a step towards Allen.

"You still don't understand? The cries of the powerless is what's meaningless. Your pathetic voice will reach no one," said Kevin.

"That's enough, Kevin! Are you saying you're the only ones who can save the world? Are you saying that it's impossible for us?"

"Exactly. You cannot save the universe or Shion."

"That's not true! Everyone here is resolved to face this fight. No one can laugh at that resolve!" This seemed to hit a nerve in Kevin.

"Resolve? Do you think we Testaments lack resolve?" Asked Kevin in a tone of annoyance.

"Yes! You lost confidence in your ability to live as human beings and just ran away! Because they were scared of death, because they couldn't stand being weak, Virgil, Voyager, Yuriev, and even Ormus. They were all just trying to run away from the harshness of reality! The power of the Testaments? All you're doing is using that tremendous power to run away!"

"Then, are you saying you have that resolve? You have no power. You can't even win the heart of the one single woman you love. What resolve does a man like you have?"

"That's right, I'm a weak human being. And to you, I'm only an insignificant, powerless creature. But I'll never leave the Chief and run! I will stand firm on this spot and save her, no matter what!"

"Very well..." Started Kevin. He held out his hand and snapped his fingers. A stream of red energy flew from his hand and hit Allen. Allen let out a scream of agony, he fell to his knees and kneeled on his hands. As he tried to get up, Kevin hit him again with another attack and Allen was sent flying to the ground.

"Allen!" Exclaimed Shion.

"What's wrong? Weren't you going to stand firm?" Asked Kevin as Allen tried to get up. Kevin fired another attack at Allen, sending him flying into the air and just barely missing the pillar. Allen struggled to get up using the pillar, he had a black eye and there was blood trickling out of his mouth. "Look at you. You're pathetic. You think you can save Shion?" Kevin was about to fire off another shot when Shion intervened.

"Stop it." Kevin looked over at Shion with a look of surprise.

"Shion..." He said.

"Just leave him alone. Please, he can't even stand up on his own. He can't do anything else, now." Kevin sneered and looked at Allen.

"You really are pathetic, Allen. How does it feel to be pitied by the one you love? Do you really want Shion's sympathy that much?"

"Sympathy? You don't understand Chief's suffering like I do. I understand her feelings, her pain and her sadness. And despite that, she struggled alone, to do everything that she possibly could! You don't have any idea how much she's been hurt…or how she's suffered. How could anyone like you understand? You have no idea how much she's cried!" This hit a nerve in Shion, I could see tears forming in her eyes.

"Allen, please that's enough! It's all right. You've done enough! Why do you have to suffer like that?" She exclaimed.

"You see, I wanted to cry in her place. And I wanted to be the one to feel her pain. Because…I wanted to spend my life together with her. I know that I may not be able to do much in this world, but I would do absolutely anything for her!" Exclaimed Allen.

"So then, do you think you can take her away from me? Shion may find your feelings to be too much of a burden for her," said Kevin.

"Even if that was the case, the feelings I have won't ever change for her."

"Like you said, I'm a pathetic man. All I could ever do was watch her from afar. But, there's no way I would ever abandon her! I won't lose to someone like you, who has only run away! I'm taking Shion back, no matter what happens!" Shouted Allen. I closed my eyes and smirked.

"_I guess there are some battles that are won not by the sword or the gun,_" I said in my thoughts.

"_Seems like it,_" said Larz. Allen had just gained a lot of respect from me for his kick ass speech.

"All right, then. I shall grant…your wish," said Kevin. He raised his hand once again and snapped his fingers. If Allen got hit by that attack one more time, there was a chance that he'd get killed. The attack seemed to reach it's target and there was a huge burst of smoke.

"Allen!" Exclaimed Shion. But Allen's scent was still there, so he was able to survive that hit... no it looks like something else happened. Sis was standing there holding on to Allen as she had held her hand out, which blocked Kevin's attack.

"Mary!" Exclaimed Kevin in a tone of shock.

"You're almost there, Allen," said Sis.

"KOS-MOS..." Said Allen.

"It's all right, Allen. I, too, understand your feelings. I can feel your pain. And, I can also feel Shion's pain."

"KOS-MOS. But, I..."

"Let's go now, Allen. Let's go to Shion." Sis helped Allen slowly walk closer and closer to Shion.

"Stop! Why are you doing something like this, too?" Demanded Shion.

"What are you doing, Mary? Is this your will? You know that will be defying Wilhelm," said Kevin.

"I must protect Shion, no matter what. His will is irrelevant to me."

"I see, then you truly are a failure. Mary's consciousness changed inside you…and awoke as something different. You're not the will of Mary, as it should be." Sis completely ignored Kevin and kept on approaching Shion.

"Shion, please tell me, is this what you really want? Do you really want to betray everyone? Doesn't make you sad?"

"Stand back, Mary!" Exclaimed Kevin. He shot another attack towards Allen and Sis. I immediately sprung into action and blocked the attack. "What the hell do you think you are doing, Half-Breed?"

"Alex..." Said Sis.

"I felt it was time I got onto the stage and lent a hand." I said. I looked over at Sis and Allen and gave them the thumbs up. "Go ahead, I got you're backs." Kevin growled in anger.

"Don't even try to interfere, Half-Breed!" Shouted Kevin as he began firing an attack at me. Suddenly something happened that I had not expected. Shion rushed forward, grabbed Kevin's arm, and brought it down to the ground, resulting in the attack hitting the ground instead of me.

"Kevin, all I ever…wanted was to be with you, even if that meant that I was being used, even if I was being deceived, as long as I could be by your side, I thought it didn't matter. But, now I know, that's not true. It's wrong for me to sacrifice others for it. If I do that, if I run away into the past, all I'm doing is repeating the misery inside me," said Shion as she took several steps away from Kevin, with her hands slowly sliding down his arm towards his hand. Kevin had a priceless look of surprise and shock on his face.

"But, Shion, what are you saying?" Exclaimed Kevin with a tone of shock.

"I do love you, dearly. I'm sure we would be happy together. There's nothing that I would want more," said Shion. She continued to step away from Kevin. "But, I can't stand the idea of being the only one who finds happiness. If I can't share it with everyone, then there's no meaning to happiness. And I don't want to be alone anymore." Shion let go of Kevin's hand and took several more steps away from him.

"Shion, no! Are you… Are you leaving me?" Shion looked over at Sis, Allen, and I.

"If you force me to choose, I won't hesitate," shes said. She looked back at Kevin with a look of determination and took several steps back towards us. "I stand with them to save this universe!"

"Shion, listen to me. Accept my words, Shion! If you reject me, you will die!"

"Kevin. Listen to me. I cannot be with you. I am no longer your tool to play with," countered Shion. Kevin took a step backwards and looked down at the ground in total shock. Shion had hit the nail on the head BIG TIME. Kevin looked up and glared at all of us, excluding Shion.

"I see. But I—will not hand you over voluntarily." Suddenly his right hand caught fire which then began to spread. "Instead I will…eliminate those who confuse you!" Shouted Kevin. The fire surrounded him and created armor that had red glowing lines all over it. His helmet covered his face completely and the back of his head was now covered by light blue hair. On the side of the helmet was horns. A cape made out of what looked like burning red cloth appeared on him as well. He gave off an aura made entirely of smoke. His power had increased by at least ten fold.

"Shit, this guy isn't second in command for nothing," I said as I took a step back. Kevin let out a roar of rage and began to ran towards us. It was bad enough that he was already really strong, it was worse that he also could still use the powers that all the Testaments had. The same power that made them all invincible and tough as hell. But somehow we were able to make progress against him. At one point, his armor vanished in a puff of smoke. He looked at Shion with a look of shock and confusion.

"Why? Is that your will? Is this really the result you desired?" He exclaimed.

"Kevin..." Said Shion.

"Shion, you're confused. You're unable to make calm decisions about where you stand." Kevin aimed his hand towards Allen and was about to attack when Shion blocked him.

"Please, stop! I don't want to fight you!"

"Shion, I don't want to hurt you, either. Why can't you understand my feelings?" Shouted Kevin.

"Stand down, Kevin Winnicot. Time's up," said Wilhelm's voice.

"Wilhelm!" Exclaimed chaos.

"It seems I expected too much from you, Kevin." Kevin let out a growl of frustration and disappeared.

"Kevin!" Exclaimed Shion. Just as we were about to walk through the door to the next area we stopped to make sure we were ready.

"Alright, let's move out," said Jr.

"I can't help but get the feeling that this is the end of the road," I said.

"_Zarathustra must be beyond this point,"_ said Larz.

"Once we go through, there's no turning back from whatever happens next. Everyone ready?" Asked Shion. We all nodded. We walked through the door and walked down the small hallway. Beyond the set of steps leading into the next room, I could see the outline of a massive object covered in a veil of shadow. It had two rings of glowing runes spinning in two different direction, with an incomplete ring of glowing spheres spinning in another direction. A medium sized cube made of green energy spun around in the middle of the object. As we got to the top of the stares, we found our selves in a larger version of the previous room that looked out towards an endless abyss. Stretching out towards the object was a stair case that lead up to a platform which had a small distance of only three meters away from the mysterious object. One ES and a mysterious craft floated on the side of the platform as well, the one on the left was Kevin's Red ES. The other one was a green, skeletal looking AWMS. At the platforms edge was Wilhelm.

"Look at that! Over there!" Exclaimed MOMO as she pointed to the green craft on the right. We could see that someone was inside it.

"That's... that's Abel!" Suddenly Wilhelm snapped his fingers and there was a burst of light. All of our ES's appeared behind us, even Omega Universitas. However, Omega was suddenly attached the back wall of this room and was stuck there. It was way too high for me to get into if I needed to use it.

"Our E.S.s!" Exclaimed Shion.

"Impossible! How'd he transfer them?" Asked Jin

"I had a feeling it wouldn't be a good idea to leave them in your hands any longer. They all appear to have awakened, so I'll go ahead and retrieve them from you. You don't mind do you Yeshua?" Asked Wilhelm as he looked right at chaos.

Suddenly the four Vessels of Anima shot out of our ES's and turned into those glowing spheres. The craft's themselves fell off the edge of the platform and into the endless oblivion. The spheres moved up to the gap in the sphere ring of the object and landed perfectly in place in the rotating line. Suddenly the object started glowing, revealing it's golden body and compass like structure.

"So, that's Zarathustra, huh?" I asked.

* * *

Next up: The final showdown and the beginning of the conclusion to this epic tale. How will things end? Find out in the next chapter. Anyway, please review!


	19. The Zarathustra Battle

And so, the final showdown begins. But before that comes... yeah you guessed it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Ocean, Kingdom Hearts, or Xenosaga.

* * *

Chapter 19: The Zarathustra Battle

With Zarathustra fully awake and active, the air was thick with an unnatural amount of power. Perhaps this machine was really capable of resetting the time line.

"What is that?" Asked Jin

"What the hell is that?" Exclaimed Jr.

"That thing…that's Zarathustra?" Asked Shion.

"There's no mistaking it. I've finally found it," I said.

"Shion, your will is even stronger than I expected. You are truly worthy of being a maiden. Now, I will make use of that power," said Wilhelm.

"Please, wait. Shion is still..." Started Kevin.

"I told you to stand down, Kevin. KOS-MOS failed, and you lost T-elos, as well. Even the Maiden with the Key has left you. Acknowledge the truth. You were unable to fulfill your role," said Wilhelm calmly. Kevin let out a grunt of frustration and teleported behind Wilhelm.

"What is Vector's CEO doing here?" Asked Ziggy.

"That is one of the phrased that defines me. However, words give people many forms. Vector's CEO, head of Hyams, Ormus Patriarch, the Federation Executive Committee Director… All of those are nothing more than phrases that define me. They each define me, yet none of them are me. So far, the only one who can define me is you, Yeshua." I took several steps forward and summoned Larz.

"You can spout that crap AFTER Zarathustra has been destroyed!" I exclaimed.

"Destroy Zarathustra? Have you learned nothing? Zarathustra is the key to salvation from the inevitable destruction." Wilhelm looked down towards Shion.

"Now, Shion. I'd like to start Zarathustra with the Key you hold."

"I expected you to say that. You foolishly chose your death over restoring your time with Kevin. The preciousness of limited life, the beauty of death. You're intoxicated by that narcissism. It's such as incredibly human choice. But unfortunately, your life doesn't matter to me at this point. All I need is your power as the Maiden, the Key, Mary, and finally the power of the Keyblade."

"What do you need that for?" Wihelm looked over at me with that calm face of his.

"For security precautions, I created a lock on Zarathustra that could only be opened by use of a Keyblade. It is better to use you since you have emotional ties with Mary."

"And that's how I come into all of this," I said.

"Correct. But any Keyblade wielder would have done. As you observed, everyone here is more than capable of wielding Keyblades. All Testaments meet the qualities required as well. So it didn't matter if something happened to you along the way. We could easily have found another, but you have proven yourself worthy." No one said anything. "Are you perhaps bewildered? Zarathustra is one of the systems created by people in ancient times. It was used to ascend to the realm of God. It was orchestrated by Mary and its power source was you, right, Yeshua? But I didn't turn out the way they expected, God did not permit mankind's actions. So, in order to prevent the destruction of the universe, I bestowed upon it a certain role." Wilhelm paused. "That's right, Yeshua, the destruction you will bring," said Wilhelm as he looked at chaos.

"chaos? Who are you?" Asked Shion.

"That is your true name, isn't it?" I asked.

"Yes..." Said chaos as he looked down at the ground.

"Everything that makes up this universe is connected by the collective subconscious. "Redoing" everything from nothing by acting upon that collective subsconscious, and sending everything into the flow of imaginary time. This is the role I gave to the eternal circle, Zarathustra. U-DO is God himself. The "two Abels" exist as U-DO's observational terminals for this lower domain. In order to assure the continuation of our world, we must seal them away. We will cover the eyes of God, remove His influence from this world, and affect the recurrence of wills through Zarathustra. And that is precisely the reason why I exist. Shion, you are the Maiden. When you use your Key, Mary can lead the wills from throughout the entire universe to Zarathustra."

"You're wasting your time. I have no intention of activating a system like this! Besides, mankind doesn't want that. We're all fighting to live this moment!" Exclaimed Shion.

"Are you sure? Large numbers of wills have already gathered here on their own. They all reject the world as it is now and wish for days long past," said Wilhelm with a small smile.

"That can't be. There's no way everyone will reject the universe," said Shion with a look and tone of shock.

"The Gnosis!" Stated Jin.

"Yes. Gnosis are the form of people who have rejected others and the world. They seek salvation. Faced with being overcome with loneliness and fading away, they choose instead to return everything to the beginning. Mary and I shall give them what they seek, the eternal recurrence!" Wilhelm looked over at me. "Reuel, the time has come for you to break the seal; so that the maiden may use her powers." I took a step forward.

"Do you really expect that I'd help you?" I asked.

"But of course, you are the closest thing I've ever had to a son."

"No! You are not my Father! I don't have a Father, I never did! You only brought me back to use me as a puppet for this!"

"You desire to save your Universe, do you not? Eternal Recurrence is the only way to save everything. It will allow you seal ARMAGEDDON away once more."

"That won't solve the problem! Eternal Recurrence is not a solution, it's merely a method for running away from the problem and putting it aside. It's the coward's way out! Eternal Recurrence will not save anything! By resetting time we will continue to repeat the mistakes that lead us to where we are now. We can't keep resetting time like that!"

"So you seek to cut off the ties between this Universe and the others. If you want to do that, then you must release the seal on Zarathustra." I let out a sigh. Wilhelm was a good negotiator. If I wanted to carry out my mission, I HAD to help him. It seems I might have underestimated him. He's a lot different from any enemy I have ever faced before.

"No other way, huh? Alright then." I walked forward several steps closer.

"I sure hope you know what you're doing," said Jr.

"Don't worry, I have it all under control," I said. I got closer and held out Larz. I aimed and hit an invisible barrier, which then shattered.

"Well done. That brings us one step closer to Eternal Recurrence," said Wilhelm.

"That wasn't for Eternal Recurrence. I have my own reasons."

"Oh, I forgot to tell you this. The Keyhole will only appear once Zarathustra has been destroyed."

"I know. That's the next step." I began to approach Wilhelm. "Now, I kill you."

"You? Kill me? I find it hard to believe that you would even think about doing that? You do realize that I cannot die, just like the Testaments?"

"I know, but it's better than not trying at all. We're all trying to fight for the sake of tomorrow being a better day. You and your precious Eternal Recurrence would undo everything we've been trying to do to stop this." Wilhelm looked at Sis.

"Mary, it would seem that your dear little brother Reuel has gone rogue." Sis didn't say anything.

"Alright, enough chatter! Time to die!" I shouted as I charged towards Wilhelm. As I got close he held out his hand and I ran into an invisible barrier. I rose up into the air and was then thrown back down to the ground below where Shion and the others were. I let out a grunt of pain as I landed, but then I got back up onto my knees.

"You cannot hope to kill me. It is futile to even try." Wilhelm looked over at Shion. "Are you ready to help, now?"

"You must be joking. No! I'll never do what you say!" Exclaimed Shion.

"I see. That's too bad, for I am not as kind as Kevin." Wilhelm raised his right hand up and a multi-colored sphere of energy appeared. Shion rose up into the air and was then covered in an aura of that same multi-colored energy. Suddenly Shion let out a scream of agony.

"Shion!" Exclaimed Jr. "Stop it! What are you doing to her?" Suddenly we were all thrown down to our knees by Wilhelm's power. Everyone was either completely on the floor or kneeling. Everyone except Sis that is.

"I told you, I have no interest in what happens to her, and I don't care. I only need her desire to use the Key, even if I have to force her. That is, the reason why she is here."

"You son of a bitch." I grunted as Shion let out another scream of agony.

"Reuel, you and I have one thing in common. Both of us would do anything to save the Universe. Sometimes, torture is the best method to get what you want."

"I don't agree with that. If we do things like that then we are no better than people like the members of Organization XIII." Wilhelm ignored me and looked up at Shion

"Stubborn, aren't we? How long can you stand it?" Shion let out another scream of agony.

"Chief! Stop! Stop it! If you don't stop, she'll… KOS-MOS! Help her! Hurry!" Exclaimed Allen.

"Shion…" Said Sis as she looked up at Shion.

"Mary, I forbid you to interfere, understand?" Ordered Wilhelm. Sis let out a grunt and looked down at the ground.

"KOS-MOS, what's wrong? Hurry!" Exclaimed Allen.

"Come on, Sis! Don't let that cocky son of a bitch push you around! What power does he have over you?" I asked.

"You're wasting your breath. Mary understands what must be done to save this universe," stated Wilhelm. Shion let out another scream of agony.

"Chief!" Exclaimed Allen. I started attempting to crawl towards the stairs. It was difficult to move because of Wilhelm's power, but I managed to move at least one more inch closer. But then I didn't have the energy to continue.

"Kevin, are you there? Help me. Please… Kevin. Help me," grunted Shion as she occasionally twitched from the pain that she was experiencing. Suddenly Kevin approached Wilhelm and chopped his right hand off, resulting in Shion falling to the ground. Wilhelm looked at where his arm had been and his calm expression didn't change... okay that's a little freaky. "Kevin?" Asked Shion as she slowly got onto her knees. With Wilhelm distracted I was able to move about one more inch.

"Kevin, are you satisfied now?" Asked Wilhelm. Kevin let out a gasp of shock. "Why act surprised? Everything has occurred as expected. Including your act of betrayal."

"You knew?" Exclaimed Kevin.

"Of course. What you seek is not order for the universe, but only for your own personal desire. An eternal world for the two people in love."

"That's right. I have no attachment to this world. But I cannot lose Shion!" Exclaimed Kevin.

"For love? Ridiculous. That has no value." Wilhelm raised his left hand. Kevin fell to the floor surrounded by that aura. Kevin let out a grunt of pain. Then Wilhelm did the same to Shion who fell to the ground and let out a groan of agony. "Aren't you happy you'll be able to feel her pain, Kevin?" He looked down at Shion. "Now, Shion. Have you changed your mind?"

"N-n-no..." Grunted Shion.

"Honestly, stubborn, aren't you? Then, how about this?" He looked over at Sis. "Mary, bring Shion here." Sis didn't say anything at first. "What's wrong? Shion will continue to suffer eternally, not permitted to die. You're the only one who can release her from her pain."

"No, KOS-MOS. Don't do what he says," grunted Shion.

"Are you sure, Mary? You don't want to lose Shion, do you?" Shion let out a groan of pain. Sis began to slowly walk towards her.

"No don't! KOS-MOS!" Exclaimed Allen.

"Stop right there, Mary!" Shouted Kevin.

"No, stop!" Exclaimed Shion.

"Don't do this, Sis!" I exclaimed. Sis ignored all of us and picked up Shion. She then brought her closer and closer to Wilhelm.

"That's right. You can't defy me. This fate has been destined…right from the time you sealed Anima. How does it feel…to be betrayed by someone you once trusted, Shion?" Asked Wilhelm. "In order to save you, Mary intends to ignore your will, and activate Zarathustra." Sis placed Shion down and took her pendant. She then began to approach Wilhelm.

"_No... it can't end like this..."_ Said Larz in my head. I lowered my head down to the ground.

"Your Majesty, I've failed. I'm so sorry," I said.

RADIANT GARDEN

-CASTLE POSTERN-

* * *

Everyone had been pushed back to the Castle postern, the very last line of defense. The Gnosis were now attacking in numbers that they couldn't handle. Even Lenneth and the Ethereal Queen were exhausted and unable to fight for much longer. Aerith was busy healing up Yuffie, Maria, and Lancar. Everyone watched the Gnosis slowly come up the stairs.

"It's all over if they get into the castle," said King Mickey sadly.

"There are too many of them. There's no way we can take down this many. They aren't like Heartless or Nobodies," said Leon.

"It can't end like this," said Luther.

"Alex has to be close to finishing things on his end, right?" Asked Sora, looking for a sign that this would be over soon.

"I don't know if we'll be able to hold out for that long," said Riku.

"We have to try, even if things don't look so good," said Cliff. Maria got up from where she was kneeling.

"That's right, we can't give up," she said as she reloaded her gun. "We have a Universe to save, right? Is this really the time to let everyone down?" Sora nodded.

"That's right, we can't give up yet."

"This is over, when they are dead," said Luther as his energy wings reappeared.

"If we don't stop them here, millions of innocent lives will be destroyed," said King Mickey.

"We're making our stand, here and now! Fight for the sake of tomorrow!" Everyone got up and ready with a renewed vigor. They then charged towards the Gnosis, so much was at stake that they could not afford to give up.

* * *

MICHTAM

-UNDERGROUND RUINS-

* * *

"No!" Exclaimed Shion. Sis held out her right hand with the pendant in it.

"Very good. You have done well. With this, we will be able to live forever," said Wilhelm.

"KOS-MOS!" Cried Shion. KOS-MOS looked at the pendant, and in a split second she crushed it in her hand. The look on Wilhelm's face was priceless, he finally showed an expression other than that calm face.

"What are you doing? Mary!" He exclaimed. "You fool. Now this universe will be completely destroyed." Sis ignored Wilhelm and helped Shion get back up onto her feet. "Even Yeshua will perish. Mary, is this what you really want?" I began to feel Wilhelm's power slowly fade away, allowing me to move a little bit more.

"I am not Mary. I am… KOS-MOS!" Exclaimed Sis. Suddenly Kevin's right hand shot right through Wilhelm from behind. Then all the energy that Wilhelm had been using began to pull back towards him and Kevin. They were surrounded by that aura.

"Let's end this, Wilhelm!" Exclaimed Kevin.

"Oh? Are you going to use yourself as a shield to protect her?" Asked Wilhelm.

"Kevin!" Cried Shion, who was no longer in pain.

"We've been rejected by this world, and by them," said Kevin.

"Humans, mere humans are rejecting me? Impossible. It is unthinkable. They don't understand how precarious this universe is, this frail world standing on a thin thread. If that balance is tipped, everything will be lost," said Wilhelm.

"We're the ones who don't understand. They are trying to walk their own path under their own power. They're saying they will walk across that thread with full knowledge of what it means." I managed to get up entirely and I took several steps towards Shion and Sis.

"They'll never be able to do that," said Wilhelm.

"Really? I think it's possible," said chaos. He got up and took several steps forward.

"chaos?" Asked Shion.

"Yeshua, I didn't expect to hear you say something like that," said Wilhelm.

"This world is more flexible than you think. Even as we speak, ripples are spreading throughout the entire universe," said chaos.

"Are you saying you're going to release your power? You're a failsafe implanted in this universe. If you release your power, there will be more to worry about than just ripples. And besides, it's too late now to suppress their wills."

"If it was only me, that's true. But I'm not by myself."

"I see. Are you saying you've come here to challenge your own fate? That's a fascinating decision." Wilhelm paused for a moment. "But unfortunately, it looks like you're a little late." Suddenly Abel let out a blood curdling scream and a vortex of red aura began spinning around Zarathustra. Our ES's were thrown up into the air by the vortex and then the green AWMS went nuts. It grabbed ES Asher and ripped one of it's arms off. It then started flying around, ripping ES's apart.

"What's happening?" Asked Shion.

"Zarathustra has gone out of control. If it continues like this, the universe will eventually dissipate and vanish."

"Stop it. Stop the system now!" Demanded Kevin.

"If I should stop it, then what? What will you do with this tremendous energy? With these countless wills that reject each other, that have nowhere to go?" The green AWMS then proceeded to rip off it's own head. "Are you implying that you know how to heal them?" Zarathustra was now caught up in the vortex, as a result it fell apart. "The world can only be returned to the beginning." Wilhelm looked over at Sis again. "Come, Mary. Help us guide them into the past. There is no other way for us to save this world." Suddenly Kevin rose up his left hand and all the red energy began to flow to it. "What do you think you're doing, now?"

"I refuse to continue to let you do as you please!"

"How foolish of you. Kevin, don't you know that your body will perish from this world if you continue to do that?"

"I won't be the only one! You will perish as well, Wilhelm."

"So, you do this with full knowledge?"

"No, Kevin!" Exclaimed Shion. Suddenly two of the ES were thrown across the room and hit the wall behind us. One of them knocked Omega Universitas to the ground.

"Shion! I'm suppressing the system's energy. Hurry! You must destroy Zarathustra!" Exclaimed Kevin. By now, Zarathustra had taken on a new form. The green AWMS had replaced all of it's limbs and head with the parts from other ES's. The two rings now spun at it's side, and the large golden platform that contained the Zohar was now behind the green AWMS. In the middle of the craft was Abel, who was surrounded by a red sphere of energy.

"But Kevin! You'll..." Started Shion.

"Don't worry about me. Concentrate on the system. This won't mean anything if you don't stop it!"

"Shion. It's true, he's right. The future isn't set in stone. With the power of your wills, you can shape it into the future you desire," said chaos. By now everyone had gotten back up onto their feet and they were all behind Shion and Sis. Shion nodded as she understood what had to be done.

"Let's do this!" I exclaimed.

"No, you have another job, Alex!" Exclaimed Kevin.

"Excuse me?"

"While Shion and the others take down Zarathustra, you must hunt down ARMAGEDOON and destroy him once and for all. I know that we have never gotten along, but please take that thing down! It is a threat to not only your Universe, but all Universes out there!"

"But where do I find him?"

"There is a place, a nexus of the three Universes. That is the center of the Tri-Unification! Seal off the core, and you will stop the Tri-Unification! Get into your craft and search for ARMAGEDDON'S scent! Then teleport to that location!"

"Reuel, if you break the bonds between the three Universes you will be trapped in this Universe forever. There will be no going back. Unlike the other two Universes which have 'back doors' leading to each other, this Universe has nothing like that. The ones you found that lead here were a one way doors only."

"Your point being?" I asked. I looked over at Shion and the others. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Just be careful," said Shion.

"I will."

"And be sure to make it back in one piece," said Sis.

"I will, Sis. Err I mean Mary... err I mean... KOS-MOS... err I..." She held up a hand, indicating for me to shut up.

"It's alright, Alex. I really don't mind being called 'Sis'. Now go, you have a job to do," said Sis with a smile. I nodded. Without another word I ran off towards Omega Universitas. I opened up the cockpit and strapped in. Then I closed my eyes and searched for ARMAGEDDON'S scent. I found it and then focused on teleporting to it. When I opened my eyes I was floating in the air above a small island. On the islands was a glowing circle of energy. Above the island was a crystal like rock formation with a temple made out of the same material on top. I landed Omega Universitas onto the Island and got out. As I approached the glowing circle I looked upwards.

"Are you ready, Larz?" I asked.

"_Right and waiting,"_ answered Larz. I walked into the glowing energy and I was teleported up into the structure. The inside was not made out of crystal like I thought it would be. The inside looked exactly like space. I could see Nebula's out in the distance. There were stars everywhere. A little ways into the room was a large door made of blue crystal. I approached the door and placed my hands on it. I opened the door, not sure what would be ahead. There was a burst of light, and when I opened my eyes I was now standing in the middle of a red Nebula. At the far of this large room was a pulsing, organic column glowing with energy. In the center of it was a large keyhole. In the middle of the room was ARMAGEDON, still in the form of Xemnas. As usual, he was pulsing with energy.

"There it is," I said. I took several steps forward. ARMAGEDON turned around to face me.

"Hm, I had hoped to have taken care of things before you had shown up," he said.

"I guess you just slacked off!" I said.

"No matter, I'll just kill you and then continue gathering the power needed to destroy everything."

"Such is the nature of an entity created for the sole purpose of destruction," said Larz.

"You won't get a chance to use that power! I'm stopping you here and now," I said.

"Really, well then, come and try to stop my power. I don't need to say this, but anything you try will be futile," said ARMAGEDDON as his hands began to crackle with energy. He disappeared and reappeared right in front of me. He summoned Xemnas' red energy swords and brought one of them down towards me. I blocked the first one and then blocked the second one. I blocked again and then I shot a Blizzaga spell at him. He flipped out of the way and then shot a blast of energy at me. I blocked the attack and charged towards him. I jumped into the air and brought Larz down towards his head. He jumped back and I didn't hit anything. As I landed he charged towards me while spinning, creating a deadly ring of red energy around him. I jumped into the air to avoid the attack. I shot several Firaga spells at him, two of them missed, and then the last two hit him. He stumbled back, but recovered quickly. He created a ring of red energy balls and they all launched towards me. I blocked them only to see another group of them coming towards me.

"Don't you have some attacks of your own?" I asked as I blocked this second wave. ARMAGEDDON appeared in front of me and slashed at me with his blades. I jumped to the side again. As ARMAGEDDON attacked again, I blocked his attacks and then I broke his guard. I slashed at him once and managed to land the attack. He stumbled back.

"Damn, it seems I underestimated you. Alright, let's see if you can handle this!" ARMAGEDDON raised up his arms and there was a burst of light as he began to glow with aura. When I opened my eyes again. ARMAGEDDON was now a large monster made entirely of the same crystal that this structure was made out of. There were two glowing red eyes and a red gem on the forehead. Fortunately he was embedded in the ground so he couldn't go anywhere. But he had really large arms, so he could strike anywhere.

"Great, why do they always have a second form," I said. I took several steps and then charged towards the monster. I dodged to the side as one of it's arms came down at me. I jumped to the side and hit the other arm as it swung at me, only to find out that this crystal material was nearly indestructible. My attack got deflected and I was knocked into the air by one of it's arms. These things always have a weak spot, now I just have to find it. That's when I decided that I should try attacking the crystal thing on it's head. I rushed towards ARMAGEDDON and dodged to the side as one of it's arms came down. I jumped onto the other arm and ran along the side of it. I jumped into the air and stabbed the center of the gem with Larz. The gem cracked and shattered into tiny pieces. ARMAGEDDON let out a scream and exploded into millions of pieces. At first I thought I had won, but then I noticed that his scent was still there.

"I'm not done yet!" Shouted ARMAGEDDON'S voice. A bunch of energy began to concentrate into one sphere, there was a bust of light that forced me to cover my eyes. When I opened my eyes again I saw something that made me gasp. It was... Xehanort; back from the days of the Keyblade War, when he was that old guy. He summoned his Keyblade which now glowed with red light. "You were not able to defeat Xehanort back then. You will not be able to defeat him now!"

"You said that earlier, but can you actually walk the walk for once?" I asked. I couldn't help but feel uneasy about this. Xehanort had crushed countless enemies, it would be difficult to take him down. At least this wasn't the true Xehanort. I charged towards him and he blocked my attack with his Keyblade. He slashed at me, which I manged to dodge. But as I fought him, I noticed that something wasn't right. My attacks weren't doing any damage, he just kept on coming. "What's happening?"

"_ARMAGEDDON has chosen a new, true form. When that happens, it's true powers awaken. It gains a shield that protects it from any serious damage. Shatter that shield by doing a strong enough attack, that should do enough damage to allow you to land a coup de grace,"_ explained Larz.

"Easier said than done. Do we have ANYTHING powerful enough to do that?" I asked.

"Yes, now that you have achieved the Last Requirement you have acquired a new ability."

"What is it?"

"_It's called Horizon's Fall. It's the ultimate skill of any Horizon Blade._"

"I don't even know anything about that attack."

"_Don't worry, the knowledge is there in your head."_

"Alright, here it goes." I held out Larz and all the runes on the blade began to glow with silver light. Larz began to glow with silver energy and started crackling with golden light. I charged towards ARMAGEDDON and slashed at him. He tried to block but my attack went right through his Keyblade. I then proceeded to slash him several more times before throwing him up into the air. The teeth of the Keyblade spun around to th center and began to charge up energy. The amount of energy charging at the tip now was immense. It was actually causing the entire blade to shake around in my hand. Finally the attack shot off in the form of a massive beam of gold light. The attack hit dead on and ARMAGEDDON fell to the ground. When he landed he could only barely sit, and not get up.

"How? How... could this... have happened?" Exclaimed ARMAGEDDON.

"You underestimated us," I said. I began to approach the Keyhole.

"Even if you stop the Tri-Unification, even if you kill me, it won't stop the inevitable destruction. All Universes are tied together, if something happens to one of them, they will all face the danger of being destroyed. Do you really want to risk that chance? Everything you have done will have been for nothing then." ARMAGEDDON pulled out a small device of some sort. "If you use this, you can activate Zarathustra and delay the destruction. You can either save them, or risk their destruction. Use this device, and you will save countless lives." I paused for a moment.

"Nah," I said. I charged towards ARMAGEDDON and stabbed Larz right into his chest. ARMAGEDDON let out a scream of agony and faded away into tiny particles of light. The device fell to the floor. I looked over at the Keyhole. "Alright Larz, you ready to wrap things up here?" There was no response. "Larz?" I looked at him. The lit up runes were flickering and the silver energy that made the teeth of the key was fading as well.

"_Y-y-yes... I am... I am... r-r-ready t-to f-f-finish thi-this,_" responded Larz in a raspy voice.

"Larz? Hey what's wrong?" I exclaimed.

"_That... at-attack, Horizon's Fall, it it requires a h-h-heavy cost f-f-f-fo-for me to activate it. That attack requires a lot of energy."_

"Alright, rest up then. I'll just use the Immaculate Amalgam to seal off the Universes once more."

"_No, it's alright Alex. I can still do the job."_ I nodded. I approached the keyhole. I held out Larz and aimed at it. A beam of light shot out and hit the Keyhole. The keyhole vanished in a burst of light and cracks started forming in the pillar. Then there were explosions.

"Oh crap! We gotta get out of here!" I exclaimed. I teleported down to Omega Universitas and got in. I rose up into the air and shot out away from the island and then teleported back to Michtam just in time to miss the massive explosion that wiped out the entire island. I teleported back to the chamber with Zarathustra in it. I arrived to see that Zarathustra was slumped down in the air with Shion and the other standing victorious. Kevin and Wilhelm were gone, their scents had faded away as well. After getting out of Omega Universitas I approached the group.

"So, the job's done?" Asked Shion. I nodded.

"Yeah, it's all been taken care of," I said. Suddenly there was a bust of light and a large door appeared in front of Zarathustra. I let took a deep breath and then exhaled. "This is it, the door I've been looking for. Our mission is almost complete, Larz." I looked at him and I let out a gasp of shock and alarm. Now Larz was flickering between 100 solid and transparent. "Larz? Are you okay?" I exclaimed. Larz let out a sigh.

"_Alright, it's time to tell you the truth, Alex. Horizon's fall, it drains my life away completely,"_ said Larz weakly.

"What? You can't be serious!"

"_I'm afraid I am."_ I clenched my teeth.

"Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you say that this attack would kill you? Why didn't you say that this attack should be 'last resort only'?"

"_It's because I know you too well. You would have hesitated. That hesitation could have cost you your life, and every life in every single Universe."_ I shook my head sadly, maybe in denial. How could this be happening? How could I be losing Larz like this?_ "Alex, I have one request. Use me to seal off the Universes and complete your mission." _

"But you'll..." I started.

"_That's inevitable at this point. I'm sorry that I lied to you back there._" I shook my head.

"Don't be, I understand your reasons." I held Larz up into the air and a beam of light shot towards the door. Upon impact the door began to glow with a bright light. The door then faded away into tiny particles of light. Larz rose up from out of my hand and floated in the air for a few seconds.

"_Thank you, Alex."_ Larz burst into tiny particles, leaving no trace of him. Several tears fell down my face as I looked up at the small bits of light the floated away. Suddenly everything faded away into a white mist. A young man about my age with long black hair that extended into a pony tail and blue eyes appeared before me. He had a red robe on that looked really ancient.

"Larz?" I asked. The man nodded and smiled.

"Yes, this is what I looked like. Back when I was a human, just like you," he said.

"Not quite what I had imagined you looking like," I said with a smirk. Larz laughed.

"Well, I don't think you imagined that we'd meet like this." I nodded.

"Yeah I didn't." There was a moment of silence, until Larz spoke again.

"You know, when I became a Keyblade... I was nervous. I was worried that I'd fall into the hands of someone who would use me for evil purposes. But that didn't happen. Since we first met 6,000 years ago, even when we met again last year... I..." Larz paused for a moment. "I was proud to have you as my wielder, and as a friend. And I still am proud."

"Yeah, I'll never forget all the hell we went through together. It's going to be lonely without you there in the back of my head," I said with a smile. A tear fell down my cheek as I continued smiling.

"Don't be sad, Alex. This isn't a forever good bye. We will meet again someday. Until then, I have to catch up with old friends and family who I have been away from for thousands of years now. I look forward to the day when I can introduce you to them." Suddenly Axel and Kevin appeared next to him.

"Don't you worry, he's in good hands," said Axel.

"We are going with him," said Kevin.

"We'll see you up there someday Alex... but hopefully that won't be anytime soon," said Larz. "You'd better live your life to the fullest. That way you'll have some stories to tell when we meet again." I nodded.

"I'll do that," I said. With that I shook hands with Larz. He took several steps back away from me and saluted me.

"See ya again someday. But until then, good bye." The three of them vanished in the white mist and it faded away. I fell to my knees and looked up towards the ceiling with my eyes closed.

"Yeah, goodbye. Till the day we meet again," I said. I felt Sis place a firm hand on my shoulder. As I knelt there, memories came back to me.

* * *

FLASHBACK

"_Wait a minute... did your Keyblade just talk?" Asked Axel. I looked at it. _

"_Yes I did just talk," said the Dark Horizon. _

"_Keyblades can talk?" I asked. _

"_Not all Keyblades. Just the four of us." I didn't say anything. "Since you are holding me then you are obviously my Wielder. What's your name?" _

"_I'm Alex." _

"_Hello, Alex. I am the Dark Horizon. I'm glad to finally meet you." _

* * *

"_Get ready for a little ride!" Said Xaldin as he pointed up. The spear shot up and into the air and started flying around while doing some crazy maneuvers. I held onto the spear while it flew around and Sora and the others continued to fight Xaldin._

"_This isn't a ride that you would find at an amusement park you know," said the Dark Horizon. _

"_Shut up, I know!" I said. _

* * *

"_The max of my abilities? Don't make me laugh. You were barely using 20 of my power."_

"_What? How do I use the other part of your power?" _

"_You have skills in fighting, you have believe in yourself, you have nearly everything you would need to use my powers. But you are missing something, the very requirement that allows you to use 100 of my power. It's the most important requirement a wielder of one of the Horizons must have. Otherwise I am just a regular Keyblade." _

"_What is the last requirement?" I asked. The Dark Horizon sighed._

"_You don't know that? That should be a given. I have looked inside your Heart and I have found out that this one thing is completely absent. Do you know what it is now?" I shook my head. _

"_I have no idea. What is the last requirement?" The Dark Horizon let out a louder sigh._

"_Oh forget it."_

* * *

"_You're right." I paused for a moment. "Hey... You've never told me your name, after all the time we've been together. I mean... you do have a name other than 'Dark Horizon', right?" _

"_Why bring that up now?" Asked the Dark Horizon._

"_I need to get my mind off Shion and saving the Universes. It'll make me worry myself to death otherwise." _

"_Yes, I had a name once... many years ago." _

"_What is your name?" _

"_Larz' Aryan. Or Larz for short." I smirked. _

"_Alright, Larz it is. I'm tired of never having a name to call you by." _

"_That's the first time I've ever heard someone say my true name in so long."_

* * *

"_I agree with her. The two of us make a great team," said Larz. _

"_Yeah. Now let's get some payback!" I responded._

* * *

END OF FLASHBACK

* * *

My trip down memory lane ended when Zarathustra suddenly let out a roar and straightened back up.

"What the hell? Didn't you guys take care of that thing?" I asked as I got up from the ground.

"What's going on? The system is still out of control!" Exclaimed Ziggy.

"Dammit! Isn't there any way to somehow stop it?" Asked Jr.

"Don't worry," said chaos. Suddenly the sphere containing Abel exploded in a burst of white light. Abel came walking out hand in hand with Nephilim.

"Nephilim?" Asked Shion in a tone of surprise.

* * *

RADIANT GARDEN

-CASTILE POSTERN-

* * *

The Gnosis were still coming, despite all the efforts that the last line of defense had made. In the end they were completely surrounded by the enigmatic creatures.

"There are so many of them," commented Kairi.

"After all this fighting, there is no way we can handle all of these guys," said Cliff.

"So this is our last stand then," Riku.

"Let's give them hell then!" Exclaimed Luther. Suddenly all the Gnosis let out a scream of pain. They froze in place fell apart into piles of salt. There was dead silence amongst the group, until Sora broke the silence.

"W-what just happened?" Asked Sora.

"They... just died," said King Mickey. King Mickey jumped up in surprise. "Then that must mean that..."

"Alex pulled it off!" Finished Goofy.

"Alright!" Exclaimed Donald as he jumped up and down. The battle weary group began to celebrate. Sora, Donald, and Goofy were jumping around in circles together while holding hands. Lenneth left without another word, along with the Ethereal Queen. Kairi and Riku were watching Sora, Donald, and Goofy doing their crazy thing. Leon, Yuffie, and Aerith went inside to let everyone know the good news. Cliff was giving a lengthy speech to his crew-members, while Lancar and Maria listened to him and whipsered jokes to one another. The only person who wasn't doing something to celebrate this victory was Luther. He looked up towards the light purple sky. As he searched for Alex's presence, he realized something.

"What's up, Luther?" Asked King Mickey as he approached Luther.

"The tie between that Universe and these two Universes has been permanently severed. I don't sense Alex anywhere. He's probably..." Luther didn't finish his sentence. King Mickey stood next to Luther and looked up towards the Sky. He understood what Luther was talking about.

"I think he knew what he was getting into, even before he left my castle." Luther nodded.

"So, you chose this path, knowing what it meant." A single tear fell down Luther's cheek. "Thank you, for everything."

* * *

The final battle is over, now all that remains is the aftermath. Two of the Universes have been saved. But is there a way to save the last one? And how will Alex's story end? Find out in the final chapter. Please review!


	20. Till We Meet Again

The final chapter has arrived, the conclusion of Alex's story. Don't even pay attention to the disclaimer, it's very redundant at this point.

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Ocean, Kingdom Hearts, or Xenosaga.

* * *

Chapter 20: To Each Their Own Journey Till We Meet Again

"So it's decided?" Asked chaos.

"_Yes,"_ responded Nephilim. _"This phenomenon is being caused by the wills, the Gnosis gathered in Zarathustra with nowhere to go. Together with Abel, I will gather all those_

_wills into me…and dimensionally shift this entire region of space to the land of origin." _

"The land of origin?" Asked Shion.

"_Lost Jerusalem, a planet once called Earth."_

"Earth, our homeland."

"Wait, it's called Earth? Really? That's the name I gave to one of the planets in the Eternal Sphere, the one that I was assigned as Executive Producer for," I said.

"_The planet you made was based off of your unconscious memories of Lost Jerusalem, even it's name."_ Stated Nephilim.

"That makes sense," I said. It had seemed a little too coincidental for the two planets to have the exact same name.

"_We cannot stop the universe's accelerating dissipation, the true destruction of the universe. But the potential brought by the light of your will is unlimited. If you, if mankind has enough time to build upon your feelings, then perhaps…"_

"And you will provide us with that time?" Asked Shion.

"_Yes. I, Abel, and…"_ Nephilim paused and looked over at chaos. He glanced towards Shion.

"Shion, you're not the one who guided this universe to destruction. Ever since the moment I've existed…my power of Anima has caused the universe to tread the path toward destruction," said chaos.

"Your power of Anima?" Asked Shion.

"To prevent the destruction of the universe and to save me…Mary separated the power of Anima into the vessels and sealed them. Costing her life. Sealed by her, I lost my power and became a spectator. All this time, I didn't know what the meaning, Anima, this power held, or why I had this power. But now I finally know what it means for me to use this power. You taught me that."

"chaos..." chaos then looked over at all of us.

"Everyone, this region of space will soon undergo a dimensional shift. Unfortunately, I don't have the power left to help you escape. I want you to get away somehow before this region is destroyed."

"But what about you?" Asked Jr with a tone of worry emitting from his voice.

"Everything follows the flow. Don't worry, we'll meet again. I'm sure of it."

"chaos..."

"What's going to happen to this universe?" Asked Shion.

"Don't worry. When we disappear, the speed of this universe's destruction will slow down. But we can't stop the destruction itself. At best, this universe will last another few tens of thousands of years before it perishes. Listen to me Shion. The key to saving all lies in the land of origin, Lost Jerusalem. I, and the Gnosis, the wills of countless people, will all return

there. For mankind to survive, you must do what must be done in this universe…and then come find Lost Jerusalem. Shion, I know you and the others can do that." Shion looked over at me.

"What are you going to do?" I shook my head.

"I don't know. Now that the door between this Universe and my Universe has been closed, I'm stuck on this side for good. Which means I have to start up a whole new life... again," I said. I paused for a moment. "I think I'll stay here and go to Lost Jerusalem when this region gets shifted." I looked over at Sis. "I still have one family member left." Shion took a step towards me.

"Then I guess this is goodbye. Thanks for everything, Alex," said Shion as she held out a hand.

"Yeah, this is where we go our separate ways. Thanks for letting me tag along," I said as I began to shake her hand. Shion pulled me into a hug and we separated a second later. I looked around at all my comrades. "Well, good luck everyone. Hopefully we'll see each other again at some point down the road. I promise I'll send a postcard or two when I get there." Shion approached Sis.

"Here you are. After all this time I finally found the real you. And now, we are going to be apart, again." As a tear began to fall down Shion's face, Sis placed a hand to her face and wiped it away.

"The time we'll spend apart will be an instant in the flow of universal time. I know…we'll meet again. So please don't be sad, Shion," said Sis.

"That's unusually vague coming from you, KOS-MOS," said Shion as she placed her hand on top of Sis'.

"I think it is the most natural thing for me to say. That too, is because of you. Shion, thank you." They reached out and held each other's hand.

"No. Thank you for everything. You've given me so much, KOS-MOS."

"I'll see you soon."

"Yeah, see you soon." The two of them hugged and then Shion and the others (excluding chaos, Sis, and I) all got onto the ES Asher while Jin piloted it. It flew through a gap in a section of the wall and they began to head back to the Elsa. Without a moment of hesitation, chaos looked over at Sis.

"Let's begin. KOS-MOS, release my power, now," said chaos.

"Very well, Yeshua," said Sis as she closed her eyes. She began to glow with red light. It formed into a thin stream and it flowed into the air, creating a transparent image of Sis in her original form. She raised up her hands and the Vessels of Anima all came together, forming an image of chaos. The two of them looked at each other, held hands, and then floated down towards chaos, Nephilim, and Abel. The image of Sis entered Nephilim, who began to glow with a pale light. The image of chaos went into chaos and he temporarily glowed with light blue energy. The Zohar rose out of Zarathustra's platform and began to glow even brighter.

"_**Wandering wills, come to the cradle within me." **_Echoed Nephilim's voice. She and chaos held out their hands and orange light began to glow around their hands. I approached Sis.

"How long do you think this will take?" I asked.

"Maybe 20 or 30 minutes," said Sis.

"I see." There was a moment of silence.

"You've done well, Alex. I'm very proud of you," said Sis with a smile.

"Thank you," I said.

"How are you holding up? You know, regarding Larz?" I let out a sigh.

"I don't know. My head feels kinda empty, now that I no longer can hear his voice. I already really miss him," I said. Sis placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Don't worry, Alex. You will meet him again someday. But for now, I'm sure he wouldn't want you down in the dumps like this."

"Sis..." Suddenly there was a roar. We both looked around to see Gnosis flying around in the air. "Gnosis? What are they doing here?"

"I guess it isn't possible for me to guide all the wills," said chaos.

"_**More time is needed to complete the dimensional shift. KOS-MOS, Alex, please protect this place until then,"**_ echoed Nephilim.

"Understood," said Sis. She summoned her triple barrel Gatling gun and jumped into the air. She let out a battle cry and the fight began. I immediately rushed over to Omega Universitas. But that's when I discovered a 'minor' problem.

"What the hell do you mean: 'Drive core down?'" I asked. I let out a sigh. It must have been the teleportation, I must have screwed it up somehow and damaged the craft. I kicked th cockpit open and ran out. I summoned the Immaculate Amalgam. I slashed at Gnosis that were landing on the ground. They were coming down in large numbers, and a lot of them were in the air. Sis was busy dealing with enemies in the air and on the ground. I tried to focus on taking out any Gnosis that I possibly could. "There is no end to this!" I exclaimed after a minute of fighting. I looked up to see a large Gnosis slowly approaching chaos and Nephilim.

"Oh no!" Exclaimed chaos.

"Son of a bitch!" I shouted as I ran towards the Gnosis. There was no way I was going to make it in time to stop that one from causing damage. Suddenly, ES Asher shot out of nowhere and impaled the Gnosis with it's laser rifle. "What? Jin?" I exclaimed in a tone of shock. What was he doing here? Not that I was complaining or anything, we could certainly use the extra hand her.

"Jin!"

"We will handle this. Do not worry!" Exclaimed Jin.

"I'm sorry! Thank you, Jin!"

* * *

MICHTAM

L-10 SPECIAL CLASSIFIED AREA

* * *

Shion and the others were running through the ruins as fast as they could. They had to stop every now and then to deal with a couple of Gnosis.

"The Elsa isn't far from here! Hang in everyone!" Called Shion. Suddenly a Gnosis dropped down behind her. She turned around and took a step back. Allen let out a roar and picked up an assault rifle that was on the ground. He lept up and started smacking the Gnosis with the end of the gun.

"I'm going to..." Started Allen. He flipped the gun around and aimed. "Protect Shion!" He shouted as he fired right into the Gnosis' head. He got off of it and held out a hand to Shion.

"Allen..." Said Shion with an impressed tone in her voice.

"Are you okay? Can you stand up?" Asked Allen as he held out his hand to her. She took it and he pulled her up to her feet.

"Yeah I'm fine," she said with a smile.

"That's good, now let's get out of here." The group continued onward, trying to get to the Elsa as quickly as possible.

* * *

MICHTAM

ZARATHUSTRA ROOM

* * *

"Thanks for the back up!" I exclaimed.

"I figured you could probably use a hand," said Jin. He grabbed his sword from out of the wall and began slashing through Gnosis in the air. I continued taking out any that landed on the ground. I looked up to see Sis attacking a large dragon like Gnosis. As she sliced through it with her blade there was a sudden explosion, sending her flying. "KOS-MOS?" Exclaimed Jin. He charged towards the Gnosis. It wrapped itself around ES Asher. Jin jumped out just in time as the Gnosis stabbed the cockpit. He pressed a button on his Connection Gear and the ES self destructed. He landed on the ground and took out two Gnosis.

"You alright?" I asked. He nodded.

"No problem!" He said as he gave the thumbs up. We continued fighting the Gnosis. I looked up just in time to see a Gnosis throw it's sword at Jin from above.

"Jin! Look out!" I exclaimed. But it was too late, the blade stabbed right into his leg. He coughed up blood and the Gnosis that had thrown it landed on the ground. I was about to attack it, when Jin held me back.

"I'll take care of him." I took a step back. Jin pulled out the blade and charged towards the Gnosis with both swords in hand. "It'll take more than that!" He clashed his two swords against the Gnosis. Then he made the final lunge. He stabbed the Gnosis in the head and in th gut, but the Gnosis got him right in the chest.

"No!" I shouted. The Gnosis fell down dead and Jin stumbled backwards.

"Jin!" Exclaimed chaos. Jin looked over at chaos. He pulled out the Gnosis' sword and let out a grunt of pain as he coughed up blood.

"It's okay. I'm all right! Keep going! Hurry!" He groaned. With a quick nod, chaos got back to work. Jin stumbled back and sat down with his back against the remain's of ES Dinah. His scent was beginning to fade. I began to run towards him, to try and help him. But then several Gnosis got in my way.

"Get out of my way!" I shouted. I slashed through one, dodged the attack of the other three, and then brought down the second one. I finished off the other two a minute later. I ran over to Jin... only to see that it was too late. I let out a gasp of shock. "No, this can't be happening," I said. I let out a sigh and bowed my head. Then I got up and charged towards the next Gnosis I saw. Several more came down and I killed them as well. After several more minutes of fighting I took down what seemed to be the very last one. Sis landed next to me. Her right arm was missing and it looked like she was nearly depleted of power. Then again, so was I. "Sis, Jin is..." I started. She nodded and looked at the ground sadly.

"I know." Suddenly there was the roar of another Gnosis. This one was coming from the air. It was one of the large blue ones that look like a whale.

"Dammit, why now of all times?" I asked.

"Not now! We're almost there!" Exclaimed chaos. I looked over at Sis.

"Alright, we have to take that thing out. It's going to be tough, but we don't have any choice." Sis looked at me and smiled. "Sis?"

"Alex, I have a new mission for you. Go with Shion and the others, find Lost Jerusalem," said Sis.

"W-what are you saying, Sis?" I asked. She embraced me with her one arm. She smiled warmly.

"I'm so glad to have seen you once again, I'm glad to see you are doing well. And that you will continue to do well. We'll meet again someday, I know it. So until then... goodbye, my little brother." With that she approached the cliff. I could see her activating her Phase Transfer cannon.

"Wait... don't tell me..." I said. She jumped into the air, towards the Gnosis, as a large sphere was forming on her PT cannon. "Please, wait!" I exclaimed I began to run towards the edge of the cliff. I jumped up just in time to be only a few feet away from the Gnosis as Sis hit it dead on. There was a massive explosion that sent me flying back down the ground.

"KOS-MOS!" Cried chaos. I slowly got up from the ground. I felt like I had split my head open or something. I looked up where the explosion had been. There was nothing there at all.

"Sis? Sis? Sis!" I exclaimed as I looked around frantically for her. All I saw were small bits of her armor and when I searched for her scent, I could not find it. "S...Sis..." I said as I realized what had happened. "SIS!! NOOOOOO!! YOU CAN'T BE... YOU CAN'T BE DEAD!! NOOOO!! SIIS!!" I screamed at the top of my lungs as tears fell down my face. I picked up a small blue piece of Sis' armor. I clenched it tightly in my hand. "No... Sis... why?" I crumbled to the ground and slammed my fist to the ground. "Why did you do it...?"

"_Alex, you must get up! You must get out of here! The dimensional shift is about to start, you must hurry!"_ Echoed Sis' voice. I got up from the ground as she commanded. I looked over at chaos, Nephilim, and Abel.

"See you guys later," I said.

"We'll all meet again, she will be there too," said chaos. I nodded and teleported up to the surface of the planet. Luckily I managed to land near the evacuation shelter. This seemed to be a VIP section or maybe a government related shelter because all the escape pods were more like small ships as opposed to pods. I jumped into one and activated it. I was thrown back into my seat as the ship accelerated and shot through the catapult, up towards space. Space had somehow inverted, the stars were now white and everything else was black. A strange wave of blackish white energy began to shoot out from Michtam.

"The dimensional shift," I said. I set my ship to maximum speed and began trying to escape from the expanding energy that was causing the local area to vanish. Out in the distance I saw the Elsa flying away as well. They were too far away for me to try and rendezvous with them, besides trying to rendezvous in a situation like this would be suicide. I tried looking for a UMN column to long jump to... well... anywhere that is nowhere near Michtam. But oddly enough there didn't seem to be any. What the hell was going on with the UMN right now? I dodged through Ormus craft as I sped along, while searching for a column pulse.

"_Don't give up."_ Said Sis's voice. Suddenly I found a column pulse. By this time the dimensional shift was right behind me.

"I'll make it, I promise," I said. The gate opened but my ship was already beginning to fade away as the dimensional shift began to consume it. "I'll make it... I promise..." I repeated as the dimensional shift began to make me fade into darkness. "I-I-I'lll make... i-i-it... I... promise..." As my ship hit the portal, everything went dark and then there was silence.

* * *

THE ELSA

* * *

Shion opened her eyes and realized that she was floating in the air, something must have happened to the gravity generator when they had gone through the last column. She pulled upwards and started moving around like she was swimming through water.

"Where are…where are we?" Asked Captain Matthews as he got back into his seat. Shion looked out the window, there was nothing but a dark nothingness.

"There is no EPR radar, and no data from the U.M.N. I'm unable to determine our position," said MOMO.

"Are we…in the far reaches of the universe?" Asked Allen as he 'swam' over to the rail. Suddenly there was some sort of crackling sound.

"What's that? A transmission?" Asked Captain Matthews.

"No way. There's no U.M.N., so how can there be a transmission?" Asked Jr.

"Talk about obsolete communication methods. This is an electromagnetic-type transmission," said Hammer as he got back into his seat.

"Can we respond?" Asked Ziggy.

"Yes, I'll give it a try." As the message came through it started out as static, but then it became clearer.

"Hello! Are you guys all alive?" Asked a familiar voice. Shion and Allen 'swam' over to the forward window. "Shion, please! Please answer me!"

"Miyuki!" Exclaimed Allen and Shion at the same time.

"Yes, that's right! It's me, Miyuki!" Suddenly a large object began to come into view. It was the Dämmerung.

"Hey, look!" Exclaimed Captain Matthews.

"It's the Dämmerung!"

"Shion! Thank goodness! I'm so glad you're alive!" Exclaimed Miyuki.

"Honestly... that girl..." Said Shion with a smile on her face. The Dämmerung approached the small ship and soon the Elsa was loaded into the dock.

* * *

RADIANT GARDEN

ABOVE THE ATMOSPHERE

* * *

I slowly opened my eyes, everything was blurry at first but then my eyes adjusted and everything went into focus. I could feel the escape pod descending down through the atmosphere. I looked around, the dimensional shift had disabled a lot of the controls inside this ship, excluding life support. I lost consciousness again.

* * *

RADIANT GARDEN

THE MAW

* * *

Luther, Sora, Donald, Goofy, Leon, Cliff, and King Mickey all went out to the Maw to check out what had just crash landed on Radiant Garden. They saw the wreckage and the crater that had been created by it.

"It looks like some sort of escape pod, or maybe a small vessel," said Luther.

"I don't recognize the design, where could it be from?" Asked Cliff.

"I don't know, let's check it out." As they approached, Cliff placed a hand on the forward window.

"Alright,let's get this thing open." He picked up a piece of the wreckage and hit the window with it, breaking it into pieces. "Hey, guys! Look who's in here!" Exclaimed Cliff as he saw what was inside. Everyone rushed forward to check this out. Luther let out a gasp.

"It can't be..." Said Luther.

"Alex..." Said King Mickey.

"Is he alive?" Asked Leon. Cliff checked for a pulse.

"I don't know, I'm not getting anything," said Cliff. He let out a sigh.

"I see..." Said Luther as he looked away. Cliff cleared out the remains of the broken window and pulled out Alex.

"Well, we can't leave him here," said Sora.

"I agree with that, let's find a good place to put him till we can get the funeral organized and ready," said Leon.

"This should have been a happy day..." Said Donald Duck.

* * *

ALEX'S POV

* * *

I slowly opened my eyes and I saw that I was hoisted over someone's shoulder. I saw Goofy looking down at the ground. He looked up and saw me.

"Oh, hey Alex," he said. There was a pause. He did a double take. "Alex!" I felt myself get put down all of a sudden.

"It's a miracle, that impact... we thought you were dead," said Cliff.

"It'll take more than that to take me out," I said.

"Hey, why don't I sense the Dark Horizon anymore?" Asked Luther. I lowered my head as I thought about Larz, and everyone else who had died. I let out a sigh and shook my head.

"It seems like I've got some explaining to do. Gather everyone, and I will explain everything," I said. They guided me back to the castle. Along the way I saw what had happened to the town. The town was almost completely in ruins. There were many sections that were now on fire as well. Dead bodies were lying all over the place. So this is the cost required to ensure peace. Why must there always be such a heavy price to pay? I arrived at the castle and inside Ansem's Study I explained to everyone what had happened, ever since I had left Radiant Garden. Everyone was silent after hearing all this.

"Good god," said Luther.

"So, you really are Reuel. That explains why you looked exactly like him," said King Mickey.

"What are you going to do now?" Asked Sora.

"I'm going to start getting ready to head back as soon as possible," I said.

"But once you cross through that door in Spira you will..." Started Luther. I nodded.

"I know, I'll never be able to return. I got lucky last time, but that won't happen. With the restoration of Lost Jerusalem, that landmass is now gone." I let out a sigh. "Perhaps this is fate."

The next day, there was an assembly in the center of the town. All the surviving towns people were there as well. Leon stood in the center with a Microphone.

"The storm has finally faded away, the nightmare is over. The Gnosis have been defeated, and peace has returned to our Universe once more," he said. There was a cheer from the people all gathered here, along with a round of applause. "But before we throw parties and celebrate our victory, let us remember those who were not so lucky. Let us remember those who died in this horror. And let us remember those who fought against it and lost their lives. None of them will ever be forgotten." As Leon spoke I thought of all the people who had died. Axel, Gaignun, Canaan, Larz, Jin, and even Sis. The memory of all of them made me sad, but I knew that I had to keep on going. That's what they would want of me, Sis was counting on me to carry out my mission. Later that day was a huge party. The ruined town was filled with people celebrating. There were even fireworks later on. I put on a happy face and smiled, even though deep down I was still down in the dumps because of all my fallen comrades. I

For the next day or so I helped with cleaning things up in my Universe. Luther and I helped Cliff, Maria, Mirage, and the other Klausians get back to their Universe. I said my good byes to them along with saying goodbye to Sora, Riku, and Kairi as we returned them to their Island. Three weeks later I was the best man at Luther's wedding on Elicoor II. Unlike weddings on other planets, higher up men had to wear armor while women could either wear a dress or armor. I was wearing a suit of armor that was exactly like my old suit of armor back during the Keyblade War. There were a lot of people here. From a bunch of employees of the Sphere Company, to other people like Fayt and Co. As the ceremony began and Clair was lead down towards the altar by her Father, I looked over at Luther.

"Nice suit of armor, you look like a prince or maybe a king," I whispered.

"Isn't 'King' and 'Prince' a step down from being 'God' of the Eternal Sphere?" He whispered back.

"Yeah it is. But I don't see a God wearing armor to a ceremony like this." After the main ceremony was over, there was a massive party. Luther and I were over at the kegs, getting another drink.

"So, have you decided where you are going with your lady on your honeymoon?" I asked.

"Still figuring that out," he responded. I nodded. We got our drinks and began to head back to our table. "How much longer are you going to be here?"

"About another week, then I'm going."

"This will probably be the last time we will be able to talk like this," said Luther as he looked up towards the sky.

"I know, that's one thing I'm going to miss when I'm out there." Several hours later I was talking with Luther on the fields outside of Aquios. The sun was setting and it bathed a warm light on both of us.

"So, I guess this is goodbye," said Luther.

"Yeah, I'm afraid so. But I know that we will meet again," I said. I folded my arms and smirked. "We'll have to share some stories when we meet again. Tell me all about your misadventures as a father, okay?" Luther laughed.

"I will, and you had better have some interesting stories when we meet again." I smirked.

"Trust me, I always do." Luther and I pounded each other's fists. We were silent for a couple of seconds.

"Well, Goodbye Alex."

"Goodbye, Luther." Luther turned around and began to walk towards the bridge that lead to Aquios. As he did a gust of wind blew up some dirt and blew by. When it cleared, Luther was half way across the bridge, barely visible. I smiled. "Till we meet again."

During the next few days I started getting ready. I gathered a bunch of blue prints regarding technology of space travel from the Eternal Sphere, including how to build a gravitic warp engine. I had a new ship built for me using those blue prints, and on the day of my departure I met King Mickey, Donald, Goofy, Daisy, and Queen Minnie all in the hangar.

"So, you are really going?" Asked King Mickey.

"Yes, Your Majesty," I said.

"So we're never gonna see you again?" Asked Goofy sadly. I shook my head.

"No, we will all meet again someday."

"Are ya sure?" Asked Donald. I nodded.

"I promise." I hugged the two of them one last time and I took a step towards my ship.

"Alex, I don't know what awaits you out there, but be careful," said King Mickey. I nodded and saluted.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" I exclaimed.

"You'll find many things in your ship that will help you. Like a nice warm blanket," said Daisy.

"And I was sure to leave a large batch of my specially made chocolate chip cookies," added Queen Minnie.

"Thanks, for everything, all of you," I said. I looked at them one last time and smiled. I turned around and went through the air lock of my ship. Chip and Dale got the deck ready. I rose up into the air and went through the catapult that shot me up into the sky. I accelerated and soon I was out in space, heading towards Spira. I activated the warp and got there in a couple of minutes. I went through the atmosphere and flew over to Gagazet. I would have payed Yuna and the others a visit, but I knew that I had to get started right away. I focused my energy and teleported. Somehow I ended up teleporting right next to the Dämmerung. It had taken me awhile, but I managed to get docked inside the massive ship. I met up with Shion and the others. Apparently they had been spending the past few weeks getting ready for their search for Lost Jerusalem. I gave them the blueprints along with my ship (after moving out all my supplies into the Elsa of course) and told them it was theirs to help construct new technology as a replacement for the UMN. Finally we had all assembled at the large dock, looking out towards the artificial sunlight generated by this ship.

"The only clue we have is the fragmented information left in the Y-Data, and with the loss of the U.M.N., you won't be able to use any transfer flight methods. All you'll have at your disposal is normal flight. I'm afraid it's going to be a little different," said Juli.

"Yes, I know. I made a promise to chaos. I know that somehow I'll reach Lost Jerusalem," said Shion as she looked over at Juli.

"Shion, I—May I—I want to go with you, Shion!" Stated MOMO as he removed her hat. The only ones who were going on this mission were Shion, Allen, Jr, Professor, Scott, Captain Matthews, Tony, Hammer, Shelley, Mary, and Myself. MOMO and Ziggy were staying on the Dämmerung, along with Juli, Doctus, Miyuki, and another Vector employee named Togashi. Shion chuckled and knelt in front of MOMO while placing her hands on her shoulders.

"Thank you so much, MOMO. But you know, you already have something to do here. You'll be working with Scientia…to construct a brand new network. Make sure you do your very best." MOMO nodded.

"Okay. I will. Shion." She looked over at Jr. "Jr..."

"Yeah. MOMO, we'll be gone for a little while, so take care of this place," said Jr.

"Okay. Um…"

"What is it?" Asked Jr.

"Will you be sure to say, "Hello" to Albedo for me?"

"Yeah. I'll pass him the message when he wakes up. But, he's pretty lazy, so I don't know when that'll be!" MOMO giggled. Jr looked over at Ziggy. "Ziggy, take care of MOMO and Juli for us, okay?" Ziggy nodded.

"Yes, of course. Don't worry. Concentrate on your mission," said Ziggy. Jr smiled, and for the very first time Ziggy smiled as well.

"We'll see you soon. Until then," said Shion.

"See you guys later," I said as I waved goodbye. We all got on board the Elsa. Several minutes later, it took off and we were soon sailing through the darkness of space as the Dämmerung slowly faded away in the distance. I was about to enter the bar when I saw Shion and Allen in there. They were looking out the window while holding hands. Shion was resting her head on his shoulder. I smirked and left, the lovebirds needed a room anyway. I went into the cabin and pulled out a beer from my secret stash. I opened it and took a sip while thinking.

So much had happened in this grand adventure, when did it all begin? Did it begin when that accident occurred at the Sphere Company two years ago? Did it begin when I got Larz? Did it begin when I met Sis nearly 6,000 years ago? Or maybe it was when I opened the door to get back to the fight against Organization XIII? Regardless, it was a grand adventure. It's hard to believe that I was once a programmer at Sphere Company. Now here I am, searching for a lost planet. I may never see my old friends again, but perhaps this is fate. No, there is no such thing as fate. Everything that happens in our lives is based entirely on the choices we make. It is our choices that determine the outcome in every conflict. It's what determines if peace is maintained, or if war breaks out. It's what determines who we love and who we hate. It is that freedom that we must fight to protect. I was knocked out of my thoughts as I took another drink from my beer and leaned back.

"This is going to be a long journey, but I know that one day we will find Lost Jerusalem. Isn't that right... Larz? Sis? It may take awhile, but we will find it, I know we will." I stood up and finished off the beer that I had opened up. "But until then... I think I'll try to beat that next level in Hakox!" I left the room and bumped right into Shelley accidentally. "Oh, I'm sorry!" I exclaimed.

"No, it's alright. I wasn't paying attention, that's all," said Shelley.

"What's up?" I asked.

"It's just that a lot has happened."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Sure, if you aren't busy."

"I'm not busy at all," I said. "So let's head on over to the bar and we'll have a drink." Shelley smiled.

"Sounds good, let's go." We both turned around and faced the bar door. As we were about to start walking, I felt Shelley's hand touch the palm of my hand. I instinctively held her hand, as I felt her holding my hand. We smiled at each other (while a small shade of red appeared very faintly on my face) and we walked into the bar. The door to the bar closed behind us.

"_Maybe the length of this journey may not be so bad after all," _I said in my thoughts.

* * *

10 YEARS LATER

ELICOOR II

OUTSIDE AQUIOUS

* * *

Luther was walking with his wife on the fields along with his little boy, Reuel. The boy had his father's hair color and his mother's eyes. As the three of them walked together, they were talking as well.

"So we'll be meeting them next week?" Asked Luther.

"Yes, they wanted some time to get used to having a child of their own," said Clair. She chuckled a little bit. "But still, I can't believe it. Albel and Nel married. And it wasn't political either, they really are in love."

"I saw it coming," said Luther smuggly.

"Suurrre you did," said Clair sarcastically.

"Daddy, when can I join the army and become a big strong warrior?" Asked Reuel. Luther patted his son's head.

"Just a few more years, kiddo. Just a few more years," said Luther.

"Do you think I'll be as strong and brave as that Alex guy?"

"Of course you will!" Said Luther.

"_You set high expectations for your son,_" said the Twilight Horizon.

"_I know, but I know that he will be able to meet those expectations. He is a strong willed boy for his age, just like I was."_ Luther looked up at the sky._ "Just like he was. Alex... I wonder how you are doing? Have you found Lost Jerusalem by now? I know you can do it."_

* * *

TIME: UNKNOWN

LOCATION: UNKNOWN

* * *

In the far off darkness of space, there was a blue planet with a moon. There was a ring around the blue planet as well. The sun reflected it's light across the moon and the planet. Slowly approaching the planet many light years away was KOS-MOS's battered and destroyed body. Her legs were completely gone and the colors of her outfit had faded away considerably. Her eyes were closed as well. She slowly floated towards the planet, but as she grew closer a faint blue light begin to emit from her.

**THE END**

* * *

And so, Alex's story has finally come to an end. It's been fun telling his story for the past three years or so. But it had to come to end eventually. I don't know what I will work on next. But for now I will work on the game I've been working on for the past month or so. Maybe someday I'll write another fan fiction, but until then... see ya! Thanks goes to all my readers. Now let's all hope for another Xeno game. I'm also open to suggestions from my readers, so if you have any thoughts feel free to share them. Maybe I'll start a new fan fic related to Star Ocean 4 when it comes out? But until then, see ya! Please review!


	21. ANNOUNCEMENT AND PREVIEW

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Ocean, Kingdom Hearts, or Xenosaga.

I didn't know where else to put this so I decided to put this in Eternal Cycle. I've decided to do a continuation of Alex's story. The basic summary is below. The story will be called Sequence of Errors. Also, if you haven't beaten Xenosaga III yet I recommend not reading this because there are many spoilers. Since this is a sequel to Eternal Cycle, it would be best if you read Destinies Gone Awry, Dark Horizon, and Eternal Cycle before reading this. Of course, if you already have read those then feel free to keep on reading this.

Alex, the former Moderator of the Eternal Sphere agreed to test out a new virtual network. But he wasn't prepared to go on a journey through his memories, let alone encounter an entity capable of ripping the very fabric of time and space asunder.

Preview-

_Outter Space – A soundless, dark void. It stretches out millions of light years and in it lies countless stars and planets. On those planets you can find a vast variety of beings, each individual having dreams, memories, and freewill. They are miles apart but they remain connected by bonds that cannot be seen, not in this dimension anyway. Even after all I've seen, I still cannot comprehend the scale of the Universe. I don't think anyone can. There are many secrets in this Universe, some we know and understand, some we don't quite understand, and many that we never will know or understand. I think this is good, because there are some secrets that are better left undiscovered; because most of the time they are extremely dangerous._

_An Excerpt from Document A789236_

_Author – Alex Rothrock_

_Date of publication: Unknown_

I woke up and looked around in the room without sitting up. The clock said it was about 6:15 AM. Since we are in space there is no sunrise to wake up to, only the hum of machines and the Logical Drive (the engine). It's been 3 months now since we began our search for Lost Jerusalem – Earth. We had not found it yet, but we continued to search. No one knew how long this would take, and we all knew what we were getting ourselves into. Everyone at the Dammerung and other places around the galaxy would contact us from time to time. Things are going well over there, apparently the information I gave them is helping them develop a new network in place of the UMN.

I looked over to my left to see Shelly still fast asleep. Speaking of her, our relationship is actually going pretty well. This is my very first time being a boyfriend so I was worried that I was going to screw up big time, but that didn't happen. It's actually pretty simple once you figure out the ropes. Of course by now everyone is aware of our relationship and they're saying that we make a good couple. The only other couple at the moment are Shion and Allen, who are also in a good relationship... even if they are a little mushy gushy from time to time. I knocked myself out of my train of thought and closed my eyes, it was too early in the morning to be getting up yet. I fell asleep and I woke up not much later as the door burst open and the lights turned on. Shion came running into the room.

"Good morning! Rise and shine!" She exclaimed. By now, both Shelley and I were sitting up and awake. I looked at the clock again as I rubbed my eyes.

"Ugh, Shion it's only 7 in the morning. Why did you do that?" I asked.

"Don't tell me you already forgot, Alex. Today is THE day," responded Shion with a look of surprise on her face. I scratched my head for a moment. I looked up as I remembered.

"Oh! That's right."

"The new virtual network testing day," said Shelly.

"So, it's finally finished?" I asked. Shion nodded.

"Yes, now all we need is for it to be tested. Which is where you come in, Alex," stated Shion. Back when we were developing a new network I had volunteered to test it by entering the capsule we had made and entering the network. I did that often enough during the days of the Eternal Sphere, so one more test for old time's sake couldn't hurt, right? "Anyway, get dressed and ready. We'll have some breakfast first and then we will test it." With that, Shion left our room and the door closed. I looked over at Shelly and smiled.

"Well, good morning," I said.

"Good morning," she said with a smile. I quickly pecked her on the lips and stood up and stretched. I began to change into my uniform. "Do you think you are gong to need that armor?"

"You never know. That network is designed just like the Encephalon. That means I may run into some old memories. Better safe than sorry," I said as I loaded my revolver and placed it into it's holder.

"I guess so. Even though it is a controlled experiment with strict limitations." Shelley and I finished getting ready and we left the small cabin that we stayed in. The hallway of the Elsa hadn't really changed much. The large green wireframe hologram of the ship was still floating in front of the door that lead to the bridge. The cafe was on the other end of the ship. Shelley and I entered the cafe to see everyone already there eating breakfast. Shion, Allen, Jr, Mary, Captain Matthews, Tony, Hammer, Professor, and Scott were all sitting in the same area, eating.

"Morning, you two," said Jr as he placed his cup down.

"Morning," I said as Shelley and I sat down in the last two open seats.

"So today is the day, huh?" Asked Mary.

"Yeah, finally. Time to see the fruits of our labor," said Allen with a look of relief on his face.

"You sure you want to do this, Alex? First time tests always have the chance of going horribly wrong," said Captain Matthews.

"Yeah, I'm sure. I haven't hesitated about it once," I responded.

"You can't be a good test subject if you lack love and courage," said Professor.

"Yeah! Love and Courage advances science and technology further and further!" Chimed Scott. He and Professor started laughing together. After eating a biscuit, a piece of bacon, and one sausage patty, I quickly downed a cup of coffee and stood up.

"Well, shall we go get this started?" I asked. We all went to the back hangar, which still contained a lot of Sis equipment, even her maintenance bed. We decided to add another function to her maintenance bed; it was now the pod for this experiment. Shion, Allen, Professor, and Scott all walked over to the terminal and began booting up the network. As I saw the equipment memories of Sis came back to me.

_Flashback_

"_Alex, I have a new mission for you. Go with Shion and the others, find Lost Jerusalem," said Sis. _

"_W-what are you saying, Sis?" I asked. She embraced me with her one arm. She smiled warmly._

"_I'm so glad to have seen you once again, I'm glad to see you are doing well. And that you will continue to do well. We'll meet again someday, I know it. So until then... goodbye, my little brother." With that she approached the cliff. I could see her activating her Phase Transfer cannon. _

_End of Flashback_

I shook my head and sighed. It was just a memory, no point in getting upset. Sis may be gone, but her spirit still watches over us. I felt Shelley place a hand on my shoulder.

"Alex? Is something wrong?" She asked. I shook my head.

"No, I just had a trip down memory lane," I said.

"Okay, Alex! It's ready," said Shion. I nodded and approached Sis' maintenance bed. I placed my hand on the side.

"I hope you don't mind me using this, Sis," I said under my breath. I got onto it and lay down. Shelley approached me and bent down so that she was level with my head.

"Good luck," she said as she kissed me on the lips.

"Thanks, I think this will go well."

"Well, everything is ready. I just hope it will all work," said Allen.

"We double checked all the coding, what could possibly go wrong?" Asked Shion.

"Well for one we're not entirely sure if the network will interact with KOS-MOS' maintenance bed. It'll either transport Alex into the network... or the electrical overcharge will result in an explosion."

"I didn't... need to hear that," I said while trying to keep my face expressionless.

"Don't worry, Allen. We did all this together, and as a team we can make anything work perfectly," said Shion. The two of them smiled at each other.

"Oh no, here they go again," groaned Tony.

"So, about that test..." I said. Allen looked over at me and nodded.

"Right, let's get started," he said. He typed something on the console and the maintenance bed began to close. Just as I was about to be encased in total darkness, I looked over at Shelley one last time and smiled. Then I heard the pressurized door of the maintenance bed seal. A screen popped up of Shion and Allen.

"So how is it in there?" Asked Shion.

"If I was claustrophobic, I would be having a fear induced seizure right now. I can see why Sis used this thing only for sleeping. I can barely move in here," I said.

"Don't worry, you won't be in there for long. The transportation is about to occur in the next few seconds," said Allen. The screens turned off and I felt something touch the back of my neck. I felt an odd liquid like sensation shoot through my nervous system as everything went white. When I opened my eyes again I was standing on a grass field with a gust of wind blowing by.

"It looks like we have a success on our hands," said Shion a few seconds later. I nodded.

"Yeah, it looks really good. So what's next?" I asked.

"Next you'll select anywhere you've been from your memories and type it into the console in front of you," said Allen. I looked over to see a holoscreen less than a foot away fro me. I approached it and typed in a location.

"Location confirmed, now transporting to Radiant Garden," said the computer. Suddenly there was static coming from the channel.

"I'm getting some sort of odd reception, like a weak signal," I said. There was dead silence. "Guys?" Suddenly there was some strange laughter on the channel. It sounded odd, the voice was fluctuating between female and male and it sounded almost robotic. Then all of a sudden I was teleported into some sort of small tunnel made entirely of wires and the robotic sounds continued as I fell through this tunnel. Finally I landed on something that was soft and organic. I stood up and looked around I was now in a very strange place. All of the ground was made out of this strange red organic substance. There were branches and arms of this stuff shooting out of the ground and forming rings all over the place. One of the rings was filled with glowing purple light. In the middle of this place was a console. "Where am I?"

"Alex? Are you still there?" Asked Shion. I nodded.

"Yeah I'm here."

"Alright good, we have a video feed of you as well now," said Allen.

"So you can see this weird place?" I asked.

"Yes, and that is not a place we designed," said Shion.

"So what happened?"

"We don't know. Something inside the system caused the network to crash but then it rebooted itself."

"So the test is a failure then."

"Unfortunately so," said Allen. "Hold on, we're going to pull you out." There was a pause. "Oh no." I knew what the problem was, but I had to confirm it, to make sure.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Bad news, it's not letting us pull you out." I let out a sigh.

"I knew it. Is there anyway I can get out of here?" I asked

"Yes, based on a quick analysis it looks like this area is the nexus of a certain amount of time worth of your memories. Those circular things are portals that will lead you to various parts of your memories. Based on this it looks like there is about a year's worth of important memories. By going through all the portals, power should be restored to the teleportation system. When you enter your memories, you will be temporarily restored to your state at the time of the memory. So you may still have the Dark Horizon in certain memories. But when you exit the portal, you will return to your current state," said Allen.

"How long will all of this take?" I asked.

"In real time, about 12 hours unless things get bad in there."

"We'll look into what caused this dilemma, in the mean time get moving. You have a long trip down memory lane," said Shion.

"I'm gettng serious deja vu here," I said. Just as I was about to approach the first portal I heard the COM Channel open.

"Almost forgot, at times there may be some glitches that occur during your travels, mainly memory glitches. Also, we will have video feeds of everything that's going on, but only outside of the portals. Once you step into a portal you are on your own."

"Got it," I said. The channel closed and I faced the first portal as I stepped up towards it. I took a deep breath. "Here goes nothing." I stepped into the light and everything was engulfed in that light.

Sequence of Errors, coming soon.


End file.
